Polymer vesicles for selective electromagnetic energy-induced delivery
Provided are polymer vesicles comprising polymersomes, a radiofrequency absorbing moiety, a protein or a polysaccharide associated with the inner leaflet of the membrane and a therapeutic or diagnostic cargo. The invention also concerns the use of these polymer vesicles for selective electromagnetic energy-induced delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic agents.
1. A vesicle for intracorporeal administration comprising:
an encapsulating polymer membrane surrounding a lumen and having an inner leaflet;
a radio frequency absorptive moiety either forming part of the membrane or attached or conjugated to the membrane external to the lumen of the vesicle;
said vesicle further comprising apoferritin in the lumen of the vesicle and associated with the inner leaflet of the membrane; and
a therapeutic or diagnostic cargo in the lumen of the vesicle.
2. The vesicle of claim 1 further comprising at least one targeting moiety on the membrane external to the lumen.
3. The vesicle of claim 1 wherein the radiofrequency absorptive moiety is a porphyrin.
4. The vesicle of claim 1 wherein the polymer membrane comprises an amphiphilic block copolymer comprising at least one hydrophilic polymer bonded to at least one hydrophobic polymer.
5. A composition for intracorporeal administration comprising:
A vesicle having:
a) an encapsulating polymer membrane surrounding a lumen and having an inner leaflet;
b) a radio frequency absorptive moiety either forming part of the membrane or attached or conjugated to the membrane external to the lumen of the vesicle;
c) said vesicle further comprising protein apoferritin in the lumen of the vesicle and associated with the inner leaflet of the membrane; and
d) a therapeutic or diagnostic cargo in the lumen of the vesicle; and
e) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.
6. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the vesicle further comprises at least one targeting moiety on the membrane external to the lumen.
7. The vesicle of claim 1 , wherein the block copolymer is a polyethyleneoxide-polybutadiene block copolymer.
8. The vesicle of claim 1 , wherein the block copolymer is a polyethyleneoxide-polycaprolactone block copolymer.
9. The vesicle of claim 8 , wherein the polyethyleneoxide-polycaprolactone block copolymer is crosslinked.
10. The vesicle of claim 9 , wherein the polyethyleneoxide-polycaprolactone block copolymer is chemically crosslinked.
11. The vesicle of claim 10 , wherein the polyethyleneoxide-polycaprolactone block copolymer is chemically crosslinked by associating avidin with biotin attached to a terminal end of a polyethyleneoxide portion of the polyethyleneoxide-polycaprolactone block copolymer.
12. The vesicle of claim 7 , wherein the polyethyleneoxide-polybutadiene block copolymer is crosslinked.
13. The vesicle of claim 12 , wherein the polyethyleneoxide-polybutadiene block copolymer is chemically crosslinked.
14. The vesicle of claim 13 , wherein the polyethyleneoxide-polybutadiene block copolymer is chemically crosslinked by associating avidin with biotin attached to a terminal end of a polyethyleneoxide portion of the polyethyleneoxide-polybutadiene block copolymer.