Precision delivery of multi-scale payloads to tissue-specific targets in plants
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsBenedetto MARELLI, Yunteng CAO
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a silk-based biomaterial designed to fabricate a microneedle-like device with controlled degradation rate in planta via tuning material composition and methods of manufacture thereof. The device enables precise access to xylem, phloem, and other plant tissues, thus being capable of serving as delivery tool to release cargo payloads and as sampling tool for analysis of plants fluid.
Claims27
A composition comprising a mixture of (a) polypeptides derived from silk fibroin (Cs) that have a higher hydrophilic content than pure silk fibroin;
- and (b) pure silk fibroin (SF).
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A method for manufacturing a silk fibroin material having a higher hydrophilic content than pure silk fibroin comprising:
- (a) contacting pure SF with a proteolytic enzyme under conditions sufficient to degrade SF proteins thereby forming hydrophilic polypeptides (Cs);
- and (b) combining the Cs with SF to form a mixture having a higher hydrophilic content than pure SF.
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A method for delivering a payload to a locus in plant tissue comprising (a) providing a ratio of Cs:SF material configured as a microneedle device having a higher hydrophilic content than pure SF;
- (b) loading the microneedle device with the payload;
- and (c) contacting the plant tissue with the microneedle device under conditions sufficient to allow the payload to enter the locus.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.