Polymersomes incorporating highly emissive probes

A polymersome comprising:

• (i) a membrane comprising a plurality of amphiphilic copolymers comprising amphiphilic block copolymers that comprise at least one hydrophilic polymer bonded to at least one hydrophobic polymer;
• (ii) at least one emissive agent that emits light at a wavelength between 700-1100 where said emissive agent is an emissive conjugated compound comprising at least two covalently bound moieties;
• whereby upon exposing said compound to an energy source for a time and under conditions effective to cause said compound to emit light that at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm, said compound exhibits an integral emission oscillator strength that is greater than the emission oscillator strength manifest by either one of the said moieties individually;
• wherein said emissive agent comprises at least two porphyrin moieties, said porphyrin moieties being linked by a hydrocarbon bridge comprising at least one unsaturated moiety;
• and
• (iii) at least one targeting moiety associated with a surface of the polymersome.

A method of delivering an agent to a biological situs in a tissue or organism comprising administering to the tissue or organism a polymersome having the agent and comprising (a) a membrane comprising a plurality of amphiphilic copolymers comprising amphiphilic block copolymers that comprise at least one hydrophilic polymer bonded to at least one hydrophobic polymer;

• (b) at least one emissive agent which emits light at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm where said emissive agent is an emissive conjugated compound comprising at least two covalently bound moieties;
• whereby upon exposing said compound to an energy source for a time and under conditions effective to cause said compound to emit light that at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm, said compound exhibits an integral emission oscillator strength that is greater than the emission oscillator strength manifest by either one of the said moieties individually;
• wherein said emissive agent comprises at least two porphyrin moieties, said porphyrin moieties being linked by a hydrocarbon bridge comprising at least one unsaturated moiety;
• and (c) at least one targeting moiety associated with a surface of the polymersome.

A method of ascertaining the presence or absence of a disease state in an organism or tissue comprising:

• administering a polymersome to a patient, the polymersome comprising (a) a membrane comprising a plurality of amphiphilic copolymers comprising amphiphilic block copolymers that comprise at least one hydrophilic polymer bonded to at least one hydrophobic polymer;
• (b) at least one emissive agent that emits light at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm where said emissive agent is an emissive conjugated compound comprising at least two covalently bound moieties;
• whereby upon exposing said compound to an energy source for a time and under conditions effective to cause said compound to emit light that at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm, said compound exhibits an integral emission oscillator strength that is greater than the emission oscillator strength manifest by either one of the said moieties individually;
• wherein said emissive agent comprises at least two porphyrin moieties, said porphyrin moieties being linked by a hydrocarbon bridge comprising at least one unsaturated moiety;
• and (c) at least one targeting moiety associated with a surface of the polymersome;
• providing an instrument optically coupled to a light source, a light detector, or both, and
• operating the instrument to monitor the amount or distribution of the phorphinato imaging agent within the organism or tissue.

An in vivo method of diagnostics or imaging comprising:

• contacting a polymersome with tissue within an organism, the polymersome comprising (a) a membrane comprising a plurality of amphiphilic copolymers comprising amphiphilic block copolymers that comprise at least one hydrophilic polymer bonded to at least one hydrophobic polymer;
• (b) at least one emissive agent that emits light at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm where said emissive agent is an emissive conjugated compound comprising at least two covalently bound moieties;
• whereby upon exposing said compound to an energy source for a time and under conditions effective to cause said compound to emit light that at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm, said compound exhibits an integral emission oscillator strength that is greater than the emission oscillator strength manifest by either one of the said moieties individually;
• wherein said emissive agent comprises at least two porphyrin moieties, said porphyrin moieties being linked by a hydrocarbon bridge comprising at least one unsaturated moiety;
• and (c) at least one targeting moiety associated with a surface of the polymersome;
• providing an instrument optically coupled to a light source, a light detector, or both, and
• using the instrument to monitor the amount of the polymersome at a situs within the tissue.

An in vitro diagnostic method comprising:

• contacting a polymersome with isolated cells, mixtures of cells, or specific cell lines, with the polymersome comprising (a) a membrane comprising a plurality of amphiphilic copolymers comprising amphiphilic block copolymers that comprise at least one hydrophilic polymer bonded to at least one hydrophobic polymer;
• (b) at least one emissive agent that is dispersed within the polymersome membrane, at least one that emits light at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm where said emissive agent is an emissive conjugated compound comprising at least two covalently bound moieties;
• whereby upon exposing said compound to an energy source for a time and under conditions effective to cause said compound to emit light that at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm, said compound exhibits an integral emission oscillator strength that is greater than the emission oscillator strength manifest by either one of the said moieties individually;
• wherein said emissive agent comprises at least two porphyrin moieties, said porphyrin moieties being linked by a hydrocarbon bridge comprising at least one unsaturated moiety;
• and (c) at least one targeting moiety associated with a surface of the polymersome;
• providing an instrument optically coupled to a light source, a light detector, or both, and
• using the instrument to monitor cell-surface-to-polymersome binding.

A method for histological labeling, molecular classification of cell surface markers, or guiding the development of novel directed therapeutic strategies, comprising

• contacting a polymersome with isolated cells, mixtures of cells, or specific cell lines, with the polymersome comprising (a) a membrane comprising a plurality of amphiphilic copolymers comprising amphiphilic block copolymers that comprise at least one hydrophilic polymer bonded to at least one hydrophobic polymer;
• (b) at least one emissive agent that is dispersed within the polymersome membrane, at least one that emits light at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm where said emissive agent is an emissive conjugated compound comprising at least two covalently bound moieties;
• whereby upon exposing said compound to an energy source for a time and under conditions effective to cause said compound to emit light that at a wavelength between 700-1100 nm, said compound exhibits an integral emission oscillator strength that is greater than the emission oscillator strength manifest by either one of the said moieties individually;
• wherein said emissive agent comprises at least two porphyrin moieties, said porphyrin moieties being linked by a hydrocarbon bridge comprising at least one unsaturated moiety;
• and (c) at least one targeting moiety associated with a surface of the polymersome;
• providing an instrument optically coupled to a light source, a light detector, or both, and
• using the instrument to monitor cell-surface-to-polymersome binding.