Patent ID: 7169814

Claim:
A compound having the formula: wherein the subscript m is an integer of from 6 to 25; T is a member selected from the group consisting of a protected or unprotected first terminal functional group, a protected or unprotected linking group, and a linking group having an attached therapeutic agent; W is a member selected from the group consisting of a protected or unprotected second terminal functional group, a protected or unprotected linking group, and a linking group having an attached therapeutic agent, with the proviso that T and W do not simultaneously contain an attached therapeutic agent; each X i is a backbone subunit independently selected from: wherein each R is a member selected from the group consisting of H and an amino acid sidechain; and the starred wavy line indicates the point of attachment to Y i and the remaining wavy lines indicate the point of attachment along the backbone; the superscript i is an integer of from 1 to m and denotes the position downstream of W; each Y i is selected from the group consisting of H, an amino acid sidechain, aryl, and heteroaryl, when the subscript n is 0; or is selected from the group consisting of C 1 –C 8 )alkylene, (C 2 –C 8 )alkenylene, (C 2 –C 8 )alkynylene, (C 2 –C 8 )heteroalkylene, (C 3 –C 8 )cycloalkylalkylene, (C 2 –C 8 )spirocycloalkylene, arylene, heteroarylene, and combinations thereof, when the subscript n is 1; each Z i is a guanidinium moiety selected from the group consisting of: wherein the wavy line denotes the point of attachment to Y i ; the attached therapeutic agent is different from each Z i ; and the subscript n is 0, 1 or 2, indicating the absence or presence of one or two Z guanidinium moieties at each i position; with the proviso that the compound has at least 4 guanidinium moieties that can be the same or different and the portion of the compound joining W and T is not a polypeptide.