Microalgae Extracellular Vesicles for Targeted Drug Delivery

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current extracellular vesicles from mammals have limited pharmaceutical acceptability and struggle with delivery to specific tissues, particularly due to harsh environmental barriers, and there is a need for a convenient and effective delivery vehicle that can target various organs and tissues for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.

Innovation Solution

Microalgae-derived extracellular vesicles (MEVs) are developed, which can be exogenously or endogenously loaded with bioactive cargo, allowing for targeted delivery to specific organs and tissues through unique biodistribution patterns, including oral administration and intranasal delivery to the brain, bypassing stringent natural barriers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If mammalian extracellular vesicles are used for delivery, then they can carry bioactive cargo, but they have limited pharmaceutical acceptability and struggle with delivery to specific tissues due to harsh environmental barriers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery effectivenessVSAvoidenvironmental barriers

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the source organism parameter from mammalian to microalgal cells, producing extracellular vesicles with fundamentally different surface properties and composition that enable them to withstand harsh environmental barriers while maintaining cargo delivery capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses microalgal extracellular vesicles as disposable delivery vehicles that can be mass-produced from renewable microalgal biomass, offering a sustainable alternative to limited mammalian cell sources

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a delivery vehicle is to target various organs and tissues, then it requires specific biodistribution patterns, but current vesicles lack the ability to bypass stringent natural barriers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue targeting capabilityVSAvoidnatural barriers

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the surface composition and physical parameters of the vesicles by using microalgal source material, which naturally possesses different membrane properties that enable penetration through biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier and other stringent natural barriers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal delivery platform from microalgal EVs that can be adapted for multiple routes of administration (oral, intranasal, intravenous) and target diverse tissues including brain, liver, spleen, and lungs, making the system broadly applicable across different therapeutic needs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Quantity of substance

If extracellular vesicles are to be produced for therapeutic use, then they need to be loaded with bioactive cargo, but conventional production methods are complex and not convenient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebioactive cargo loadingVSAvoidproduction convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs microalgal cells that naturally produce and secrete extracellular vesicles as part of their normal physiology, eliminating the need for complex transfection or transduction protocols required by mammalian cell systems, thereby simplifying production while enabling cargo loading

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a multi-functional production system where microalgal cells can be grown in large-scale bioreactors, programmed to produce specific bioactive cargos (proteins, RNA, metabolites), and automatically secrete the loaded EVs, combining production, loading, and purification in a single streamlined process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20240423923A1Extracellular vesicles from microalgae, their biodistribution upon administration, and uses

Publication Date: 2024.12.26 AGS THERAPEUTICS SAS

AI summary

Provided are compositions containing extracellular vesicles from microalgae (MEVs) that are loaded with bioactive cargo. The MEVs are formulated and administered by a variety of routes of administration and have a variety of applications as therapeutics, including as vaccines, as anti-cancer therapeutics, as therapeutics for psychiatric diseases, disorders, and conditions, and as diagnostics, and other such uses.