Arrowhead Research Corporation, a nanotechnology company researching life sciences and semiconductor technologies, recently received a patent regarding therapeutic compositions and methods for delivery. U.S. Patent No. 7,018,609 ("Compositions containing inclusion complexes"), issued late last month, discloses "a composition containing a polymer, a therapeutic agent, and a complexing agent where the polymer interacts with the complexing agent in a host-guest or a guest-host interaction to form an inclusion complex," along with compositions to deliver the therapeutic agent to treat a number of disorders. The patent discloses the use of cyclodextrins as being "a preferred host," because they are "able to interact with a great variety of ionic and molecular species." The first claim of the patent is directed to a method of preparing such a composition, comprising a therapeutic agent, a cyclodextrin-containing polymer, and a complexing agent "comprising at least one functional group and at least one host/guest moiety that forms an inclusion complex with a host/guest moiety of said cyclodextrin-containing polymer to form the composition," wherein the three individual components are separate molecules. This patent states that it answers the need "for a more effective non-viral delivery systems exhibiting properties such as, for example, increased stability (e.g. under physiological conditions) and effective targeting abilities."

U.S. Patent No. 7,018,609: LINK
BusinessWire Press Release: LINK
Arrowhead Research Website: LINK