Patent ID: 7048949

Claim:
A nanoscale particle comprising an artificial membrane scaffold protein and at least one G protein coupled receptor protein, and further comprising a phospholipid or a mixture of phospholipids, wherein said nanoscale particle has a diameter between 5 nm and 500 nm, wherein said artificial membrane scaffold protein, in an aqueous environment, self-assembles in the presence or absence of phospholipid or in the presence of a mixture of phospholipids, into a nanoscale particle between about 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameter, wherein said membrane scaffold protein is amphipathic and wherein said membrane scaffold protein is a derivative or a truncated form of human apolipoprotein A1, forms at least one alpha helix-, and lacks the N-terminal globular domain of a polioprprotein A1 (amino acids 8 to 50 of SEQ ID NO: 2).