Patent ID: 7153525

Claim:
A method of making solid nanoparticles, comprising: making an oil-in-water microemulsion by heating, the microemulsion comprising: a liquid nanoparticle matrix material formed by heating a solid matrix material until melted; a surfactant or a co-surfactant or a mixture thereof, and a molecule of interest, wherein the molecule is a drug molecule; wherein the microemulsion is formed essentially spontaneously by heating at a temperature of between about 35° C. and about 100° C.; and cooling the microemulsion while stirring to form solid nanoparticles having a diameter of less than about 300 nanometers, wherein said solid nanoparticles are formed by cooling the microemulsion without aqueous dilution, and where the molecule of interest is either entrapped in or adsorbed to the solid nanoparticles.