{
  "patent_number": "US 8580275",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Using Yeast Cell Walls to Deliver Genetic Medicine",
  "original_title": "Drug delivery product and methods",
  "summary": "A method for using hollowed-out yeast cell walls as tiny transport containers to deliver genetic payloads like DNA or RNA into cells.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a biological delivery system that uses the empty shell of a yeast cell as a protective vessel. To keep a genetic payload—like siRNA or DNA—inside this shell, the inventors add a cationic (positively charged) trapping molecule. Because genetic material is typically negatively charged, the positive 'trapping' molecule acts like a magnet, holding the medicine securely inside the yeast shell until it reaches its target. This allows the system to carry delicate therapeutic molecules through the body without them breaking down prematurely.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover delivery systems that use synthetic or non-yeast-based shells.",
    "Does not cover systems that lack a cationic trapping molecule to secure the payload.",
    "Does not cover the use of yeast cell walls that contain more than 90 weight percent beta-glucan.",
    "Does not cover payloads that are not nucleic acids, such as small molecule drugs or proteins, unless they are specifically part of a nucleic acid construct."
  ],
  "filed": "2010-05-17",
  "granted": "2013-11-12",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "University of Massachusetts Amherst",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/university-of-massachusetts-amherst",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Gary R. Ostroff",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/gary-r-ostroff"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 4,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "pharmaceutical"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present invention provides a particulate delivery system comprising an extracted yeast cell wall comprising beta-glucan, a payload molecule and a payload trapping molecule. The invention further provides methods of making and methods of using the particulate delivery system.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8580275/car-t-cell-therapy",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8580275/car-t-cell-therapy/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US8580275",
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}