Patent ID: 6099857
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: A61K,C12N

Abstract:
A lipid-vesicle composition in the form of a kit, said kit comprisinga first population of lipid vesicles containing a first agent entrapped in said vesicles, said vesicles in the first population composed of (i) at least 10 mole percent of a plasmalogen phospholipid with a small-volume polar head group, (ii) a negatively charged phospholipid, and (iii) cholesterol or a cholesterol analog;a second population of lipid vesicles containing a second agent entrapped in said vesicles, said vesicles in the second population composed of a vesicle-forming lipid capable of fusion with the first-population vesicles; anda fusion protein effective to promote fusion between the vesicles in the two populations, said fusion protein selected from the group consisting of an isoform of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein, viral fusion proteins and fragments thereof which retain fusion activity;wherein said first and second populations, prior to use, are maintained in a condition that inhibits fusion until the two populations are brought into contact in the presence of said fusion protein.