Patent ID: 6979460

Claim:
A vinyl ether lipid compound of the formula: wherein one of either R 1 or R 2 is a hydrophilic headgroup and the other of R 1 or R 2 is hydrogen, a second hydrophilic headgroup, or a crosslinker joining at least one other molecule of the vinyl ether compound at the R 1 or R 2 position; R 4 is hydrogen or an electron donating group; and R 3 is cholesterol, a cholesterol derivative, sphingosine, a sphingosine derivative or a group according to the formula: wherein each R 5 is independently a hydrophobic group of the formula: wherein X is O or S; n is an integer from 5 to 32 inclusive; y is an even integer from 2 to 12 inclusive; and y is less than or equal to n.