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AssigneesThe University of Nottingham, University of Gent
InventorsAllan Gerald Arthur Coombes, Stanley Stewart Davis, Etienne Honore Schacht
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The invention relates to microspheres which are suitable for biomedical uses which have a diameter in the range of 10 nm to 2 mm and which comprise a substantially spherical core particle of a non-water-soluble polymer and an outer surface layer consisting substantially of a water-soluble polymer. The water-soluble polymer is conjugated to polyethylene glycol and the non-water-soluble core particle is attached to the water-soluble polymer by the polyethylene glycol moiety. The microspheres are prepared by dissolving the non-water-soluble polymer in a suitable first solvent, dispersing the polymer solution in a solution of the PEG/water-soluble polymer conjugate and evaporating the first solvent to form microspheres in which the PEG anchors the water-soluble polymer to the core particle.
A microsphere having a diameter in the range from 10 nm to 2 mm, which comprises a substantially spherical core particle of a non-water-soluble polymer and an outer surface layer consisting substantially of a water-soluble polymer, said water-soluble polymer being conjugated to polyethylene glycol, wherein said non-water-soluble core particle is non-covalently attached to said water-soluble polymer by the polyethylene glycol moiety.
A method of producing microspheres having a diameter in the range of 10 nm to 2 mm comprising a non-water-soluble polymer and water-soluble polymer, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of altering the surface characteristics of a material or device comprising a non-water-soluble polymer which method comprises attaching to the surface of said material or device a conjugate of polyethylene glycol and a water-soluble polymer wherein said conjugate is orientated such that the polyethylene glycol is non-covalently anchored to said surface and said water-soluble polymer forms substantially all of the outermost layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.