Patent ID: 7332586

Claim:
A nanoparticle delivery vehicle for contacting a target cell and crossing a cellular membrane and a nuclear membrane of a target cell, the nanoparticle delivery vehicle comprising: (a) a nanoparticle, wherein the nanoparticle comprises a material selected from the group consisting of cadmium selenide, titanium, titanium dioxide, tin, tin oxide, silicon, silicon dioxide iron, iron III oxide, silver, nickel, gold, copper, aluminum, steel, cobalt-chrome alloy, titanium alloy, brushite, tricalcium phosphate, alumina, silica, zirconia, diamond, polystyrene, silicone rubber, polycarbonate, polyurethanes, polypropylenes, polymethylmethaacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, polyethers, and polyethylene; (b) an active agent; (c) a nuclear localization signal; and (d) one or more extracellular targeting agents, wherein the one or more extracellular targeting agents is recognized and bound by one or more receptors on a surface of a target cell.