Nanoparticles containing a mitochondrial that are capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and that have a targeting moiety, an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent may be useful for treatment of traumatic brain injury.

Gas-filled microvesicles comprising an antigen bound thereto and to aqueous suspensions containing said microvesicles, for use in immunomodulating formulations, in particular as a vaccine. The antigen is covalently bound to a component of the microvesicles envelope. The microvesicles of the invention are particularly effective in the uptake by antigen-presenting cells, in particular dendritic cells.

The present invention is, in general, directed to nanoparticles for the delivery of agents to glioblastoma tumors. More particularly, the present invention relates to nanoparticle conjugates that deliver and release agents to a glioblastoma tumor. The invention is also directed to methods of delivering agents to glioblastoma tumors.

The present invention provides a sonochemical irradiation-based method for the preparation of polydopamine (PDA) nanocapsules having reduced wall thickness and uniform size distribution, which may further comprise at least one payload; nanocapsules obtained by this method; and compositions thereof. Such compositions may be formulated for different purposes, e.g., as pharmaceutical compositions for various therapeutic or diagnostic purposes.

A compound of formula the following formula: (I). In this formula, moieties A, B, X, R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are defined herein. Also disclosed are a nanocomplex that is formed of such a compound and a pharmaceutical agent, and a nanocomplex that is formed of a protein and a bioreducible compound. ##STR00001##

Disclosed herein is a method for treating a cancer, the method includes following operations. A pharmaceutical composition is administered to a subject in need. The pharmaceutical composition includes a medium and a plurality of cisplatin-loaded microbubbles dispersed in the medium. Each cisplatin-loaded microbubble includes a shell portion and a core portion. The shell portion includes a plurality of albumin molecules and a plurality of first cisplatin molecules covalently bonding to the albumin molecules. The core portion is surrounded by the shell portion, wherein the core portion includes a mixture of inert gas and a plurality of second cisplatin molecules. Ultrasound energy is then applied to a tumor of the subject to break the cisplatin-loaded microbubbles.

A method of selectively targeting a cell with a therapeutic agent, the method comprising: targeting a cell with a nanospear, puncturing the cell with said nanospear; releasing a therapeutic agent from said nanospear, wherein said therapeutic agent enters said cell, thereby effecting the efficacy of said cell.

The invention provides a method of preparing a microbubble covalently attached to at least one therapeutic agent which comprises: (i) providing a lipid (e.g. a phospholipid) capable of forming a microbubble; covalently linking at least one therapeutic agent to said lipid to produce a functionalised lipid; and preparing a microbubble from said functionalised lipid. Microbubble-therapeutic agent complexes which comprise a microbubble shell formed from a plurality of lipids (e.g. phospholipids) in which at least a proportion of the lipids are covalently linked to at least one therapeutic agent are also provided. Examples of therapeutic agents which may be attached to the microbubble include chemotherapeutic agents and sonosensitising agents. The complexes find use in methods of sonodynamic therapy and, in particular, in methods of combined sonodynamic therapy and chemotherapy.

Provided is a novel carrier for introducing a nucleic acid such as a siRNA into a cell. The carrier for a nucleic acid of the present invention includes vesicles from a plant in the family Malpighiaceae, and preferably vesicles derived from acerola. A method for administering a nucleic acid according to the present invention includes forming a conjugate of the carrier for a nucleic acid of the present invention and a nucleic acid and administering the conjugate.

A fusion protein, a nanoparticle composed by a plurality of monomers of said fusion protein, and uses thereof. A fusion protein based on the heavy chain of human ferritin is de-scribed, which includes at the N terminus of the protein at least one metalloproteinase cleavage sequence and a modified PAS polypeptide that acts as a masking polymer that in-creases the protein drug stability, as well as a nanoparticle composed of multiple monomers of said fusion protein, a nucleic acid encoding for said fusion protein, and diagnostic and therapeutic applications thereof.