Live Cell Conjugation Chemistry for Imaging, Sensing and Cell Therapy
A novel cell-modification technology non-toxically conjugates small molecules, proteins, and tracers directly to live mammalian cells for enhanced cell therapy, imaging, and drug delivery applications without requiring nanoparticles.
Surface modification of live cells has many biomedical and therapeutic applications, such as live cell imaging and cell therapy. The current approaches have limitations including poor stability over time and incompatibility with mammalian cells due to toxicity. There is a need for a new technology that improves surface modification of live cells.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new technology that enables surface modification of live mammalian cells. This cell-modification technology has applications in live cell imaging, manufacturing of cell therapies, enhancement of cells for therapeutic applications, cell-drug conjugation for enhanced killing of cancer cells, and drug delivery in a pH dependent manner to sites of inflammation. This technology conjugates small molecules, proteins, fluorophores, and PET tracers to live cells without nanoparticles or other vehicles.
Advantages:
-Conjugation to cell membranes without killing cells
-Functionalizes living cells with components such as small molecules, proteins, fluorophores, and PET tracers
-No use of nanoparticles or other vehicles
Potential Applications:
-Cell membrane imaging
-Enhanced cell therapy
-Production of therapeutic cells
TRL: 4
Intellectual Property:
Provisional-Patent, 2018-04-17, United States | PCT-Patent, 2019-04-17, WO | NATL-Patent, 2020-10-16, United States
Keywords: Surface modification of live cells, live cell imaging, cell therapy, live mammalian cells, cell-modification technology, cell-drug conjugation, drug delivery, small molecules conjugation, proteins conjugation, fluorophores conjugation, PET tracers conjugation