BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Techniques

Techniques: Zwitterionic polycarboxybetaine (PCB) protein encapsulation for delivery of therapeutic proteins

October 22, 2015 7:00 AM UTC

A zwitterionic PCB gel-based delivery system could enhance the metabolic stability and reduce the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins. The system involves crosslinking the zwitterionic, hydrophilic PCBs into a gel mesh on a protein's surface to form networks that encapsulate the protein and shield it from circulation. In rats, IV PCB-encapsulated urate oxidase (URO) had a longer circulating half-life than PEGylated or unmodified URO. Also in the rats, PCB-encapsulated URO elicited fewer anti-URO antibodies than PEGylated proteins and elicited no detectable anti-PCB antibodies, whereas PEGylated URO elicited high levels of anti-PEG antibodies. Next steps could include testing the delivery platform on other therapeutic proteins...