Title of Invention

A COLLOIDAL SUSPENSION OF SUBMICRONIC PARTICLES FOR CARRYING ACTIVE PRINCIPLE(S)

Abstract N/A
Full Text FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See Section 10; rule 13]
"COLLOIDAL SUSPENSION OF SUBMICRONIC PARTICLES AS VECTORS FOR ACTIVE PRINCIPLES AND METHOD FOR PREPARING SAME"
FLAMEL TECHNOLOGIES, Pare Club du Moulin a Vent, 33 avenue du Docteur G. Levy, F-69693 Cedex Venissieux, France,
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:

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WO 01/37809 PCT/FROO/02831
COLLOIDAL SUSPENSION OF SUBMICRONIC PARTICLES AS VECTORS FOR ACTIVE PRINCIPLES AND METHOD FOR PREPARING
SAME
5 TECHNICAL FIELD
The field of the present invention is that of Vector Particles (PV), which are useful for the administration of active principles (PA). The latter are preferably medicaments or nutrients for administration to an
10 animal or human organism by the oral, nasal, vaginal, ocular, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intradermal, intraperitoneal, intracerebral or parenteral route, or the like. However, this may also involve cosmetic products or plant-production products,
15 such as herbicides, pesticides, insecticides or fungicides, or the like. In terms of chemical nature, the PAs most particularly, but without limitation, involved in the invention are, for example, proteins, glycoproteins, peptides, polysaccharides,
20 lipopolysaccharides, oligonucleotides, polynuclides and organic molecules.
The present invention relates, more precisely, to colloidal suspensions of Vector Particles, advantageously of the submicronic type, based on
25 polyamino acids (PAA). The present invention relates to both uncoated particles as such, and vector systems for PAs, consisting of particles loaded with the PA(s) considered. The present invention also relates to pulverulent solids comprising these PVs. The invention
30 also relates to methods for preparing said colloidal suspensions of particles, with or without PAs.
PRIOR ART
The encapsulation of PA into the PVs is intended in
35 particular to modify their duration of action and/or to convey them to the site of treatment and/or to increase the bioavailability of said PAs. Numerous encapsulation techniques have already been proposed. Such techniques are intended, on the one hand, to allow the transport

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of the PA to its site of therapeutic action, while protecting it against attacks by the body (hydrolysis, enzymatic digestion and the like) and, on the other hand, to control the release of the PA at its site of
5 action, in order to maintain the quantity available for the body at the desired level. The PAs involved in these vicissitudes of transport and of existence in the body are, for example, proteins, but may also be products which are completely, different, organic
10 molecules of synthetic or natural origin.
The review by M.J. HUMPHREY (Delivery system for peptide Drugs, published by S. DAVIS and L.ILLUM, Plenum Press, N.Y. 1986) reports the problem relating
15 to the enhancement of the bioavailability of the PAs and the advantage of vector and controlled release systems.
Among all the materials which can be envisaged for forming PVs, polymers are increasingly used because of
20 their intrinsic properties. As regards the specifications which it is desired to obtain for the PVs, they are particularly demanding and comprise, in particular, the following specifications.
1 The first specification desired for the PVs
25 would be that the polymer constituting the
PVs is biocompatible, capable of being
eliminated (by excretion) and/or
biodegradable and, even better, that it is
metabolized into products which are not toxic
30 for the body. In addition, it would be
appropriate for the biodegradation in the body to be of a sufficiently short duration.
2 It would be advantageous for the PVs to be
able to form a stable aqueous suspension
35 without the aid of an organic solvent and/or
a surfactant.
3 It would also be desirable for the PVs to
have a sufficiently small size to be able to
undergo, in suspension in a liquid, a

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of the PA to its site of therapeutic action, while protecting it against attacks by the body (hydrolysis, enzymatic digestion and the like) and, on the other hand, to control the release of the PA at its site of
5 action, in order to maintain the quantity available for the body at the desired level. The PAs involved in these vicissitudes of transport and of existence in the body are, for example, proteins, but may also be products which are completely, different, organic
10 molecules of synthetic or natural origin.
The review by M.J. HUMPHREY (Delivery system for peptide Drugs, published by S. DAVIS and L.ILLUM, Plenum Press, N.Y. 1986) reports the problem relating
15 to the enhancement of the bioavailability of the PAs and the advantage of vector and controlled release systems.
Among all the materials which can be envisaged for forming PVs, polymers are increasingly used because of
20 their intrinsic properties. As regards the specifications which it is desired to obtain for the PVs, they are particularly demanding and comprise, 'in particular, the following specifications.
1 The first specification desired for the PVs
25 would be that the polymer constituting the
PVs is biocompatible, capable of being
eliminated (by excretion) and/or
biodegradable and, even better, that it is
metabolized into products which are not toxic
30 for the body. In addition, it would be
appropriate for the biodegradation in the body to be of a sufficiently short duration.
2 It would be advantageous for the PVs to be
able to form a stable aqueous suspension
35 without the aid of an organic solvent and/or
a surfactant.
3 It would also be desirable for the PVs to
have a sufficiently small size to be able to
undergo, in suspension in a liquid, a

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sterilizing filtration by a filter whose pore diameter is less than or equal to 0.2 urn.
4 It is desirable for the FVs and the PV-PA
systems to be obtained by a method which is
5 nondenaturing for the PA.
5 The PVs advantageously ought to make it
possible to control the rate of release of
the PA.
6 Another important specification would be that
10 the PV-PA systems can constitute excellent
injectable medicaments. This enhanced capacity for administration by injection -e.g. intravenous or intramuscular injection -"injectability" is characterized by:
15 (i) a reduced injected volume (for a given
therapeutic dose) (ii) a low viscosity.
These two properties are satisfied when the therapeutic dose of PA is associated with a
20 minimal quantity of PA. In other words, the
PVs should have a high PA load factor.
7 The cost specific to the PVs in an injectable
preparation should be reduced and, here
again, it is appropriate for the PVs to have
25 a high PA load factor. In the final analysis,
the small size and a high load factor are major specifications sought for the PVs.
8 It is also advantageous for the polymer
constituting the PVs not to induce an immune
30 response.
The earlier technical proposals, which are described below, have tried to satisfy all these specifications. By way of illustration, there may be mentioned the
35 earlier proposals (a) to (h):
(a) Patent US-A-5 286 4 95 relates to a method of encapsulation by vaporization of proteins in aqueous phase, using materials having opposite charges, namely: alginate

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(negatively charged) and polylysine
(positively charged). This method of
manufacture makes it possible to produce
particles having a size greater than 35 jam.
5 (b) Moreover, emulsion techniques are commonly
used to prepare microparticles loaded with
PA. For example, patent applications
WO 91/06286, WO 91/06287 and WO 89/08449
disclose such emulsion techniques in which
10 organic solvents are used to solubilize
polymers, for example, of the polylactic type.
However, it was found that the solvents may
be denaturing, in particular for peptide or
polypeptide PAs.
15 (c) Biocompatible PVs called proteinoids, which

have been described since 1970 by X. FOX and
K. DOSE in "Molecular Evolution and the
Origin of Life", Ed. Marcel DEKKER Inc
(1977), are also known. Thus, patent
20 application WO 88/01213 proposes a system
based on a mixture of synthetic polypeptides,
whose solubility depends on the pH. To obtain
the matrix microparticles according to this
invention, they solubilize the mixture of
25 polypeptides, and then with a change of pH,
they cause the precipitation of proteinoid
particles. When the precipitation is carried
out in the presence of a PA, the latter is
encapsulated into the particle.
30 (d) There may also be mentioned, as a reminder,
patent US 4 351 337 which belongs to a field
which is different from that of the
vectorization of PA which is specific to the
invention. This patent discloses mass
35 implants which are attached and located at
quite precise sites in the body. These implants are hollow tubes or capsules of microscopic size (160 urn and having a length equal to 2 000 urn) , consisting of copolymers

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of copoly(amino acids) - e.g. poly(glutamic
acid-leucine) or poly(benzyl glutamate-
leucine) - which are obtained by
copolymeri2ation of monomers of
5 N-carboxyanhydrides of amino acids (NCA). The
inclusion of a PA occurs through a technique
for evaporation of solvent for a mixture of
polymer and of PA. Patent US 4 450 150
belongs to the. same family as patent
10 US 4 351 337 studied above and essentially
has the same object. The constituent PAAs are poly(glutamic acid-ethyl glutamate).
(e) Patent application PCT/FR WO 97/02810
discloses a composition for the controlled
15 release of active principles, comprising a
plurality of lamellar particles of a biodegradable polymer, which is at least partially crystalline (lactic acid polymer) and of a PA absorbed onto said particles. In
20 this case, the release of the active
principle occurs by desorption.
(f) The publication "CHEMISTRY LETTERS 1995, 707,
AKIYOSHI ET AL" relates to the stabilization
of insulin by supramolecular complexing with
25 polysaccharides hydrophobized by grafting of
cholesterol.
(g) The article which appeared in "MACROMOLECULES
1997, 30, 4013-4017" describes copolymers
composed of a polypeptide block based on
30 L-phenylalanine, (-benzyl-L-glutamate or
0-(tetra-O-acetl-D-glucopyranosyl)-L-serine, and a synthetic block, such as poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) or poly(2-phenyl-2-oxazoline). Polymers aggregate in aqueous medium to form
35 particles of 400 nm, which are capable of
combining with an enzyme, lipase. The term combined means here that the protein adsorbs onto the particle by a physical phenomenon (no covalent bonding).

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(h) Patent application FR 2 74 6 035 describes in
particular, page 28, lines 3 to 16, a
colloidal suspension of composite gel
microparticles, obtained from a polyaminc
5 acid of the polypolyleucine/sodium glutamate
type, fractionated coconut oil (miglyol®) and deionized water or buffered saline solution (phosphate buffer pH 7.4 at 25°C) . The mean reference diameter D[4,3] of these composite
10 gel microparticles is 2 800 nm. It is evident
from all the examples of FR 2 74 6 035, that the smallest mean reference diameter D[4,3] is equal to 1 900 nm. Moreover, these composite gel microparticles
.15 cannot combine with insulin in the
nondissolved state in colloidal suspension, according to a factor Ta>7%. Under these conditions, it is obvious that the composite gel microparticles do not meet the
20 specifications, and in particular not the
specifications relating to injectability and to the capacity for combination and for release in relation to insulin. In addition, the method according to
25 FR 2 746 035 does not involve a nonaromatic
polar solvent and the formation of microparticles does not occur spontaneously in aqueous medium, but involves the use of vigorous homogenization with the aid of a
30 rotor/stator type device.
(i) The subject of PCT application WO 96/29991 is polyamino acid particles useful for the vectorization of PA. These particles have a size of between 10 and 500 nm, preferably
35 between 30 and 400 nm. In the examples of
this PCT application, the size of the particles is measured by the radius of gyration. The radius of gyration of the particles obtained in these examples varies

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from 55 to 280 nm. Other techniques exist for
measuring the size of colloidal particles.
The determination of the mean hydrodynamic
diameter (Dh) of the particles by quasi-
5 elastic light scattering (QELS) is an example
of a convenient method of measurement. In the whole of the present disclosure, an Md procedure for measuring Dh is taken as reference. Md is described later. Thus, the
10 Dh of the particles according to the examples
of the PCT WO 9 6/29991 extends from 150 nm to 750 nm. It is to be noted that the PVs in question here consist of a hydrophobic core surrounded by hydrophilic hair. The
15 hydrodynamic diameter of these objects is
less than double their radius of gyration, as will be explained, for example, in the books "Dynamic Light Scattering", B.J. Berue and R. Pecaran (Wiley, 1976) and "Physicochemical
20 Hydrodynamics", R.F. Probstein (Wiley 1994).
The load factor Ta for the particles is conveniently expressed by the ratio of the mass of insulin to the mass of dry PV. According to the examples of WO 96/29991,
25 with a PA consisting of insulin, is at best
0.065 mg/mg, that is 6.5% by dry weight of insulin relative to the mass of PAA. Ta is measured according to a procedure Ma described later. The particles according to
30 WO 96/29991 form spontaneously by bringing
PAA into contact with an aqueous solution. The PAAs comprise neutral and hydrophobic amino acid monomers AAO and ionizable and hydrophilic monomers AAI. These PAAs are
35 prepared by copolymerization of NCA of AAI
precursors (e.g.: Glu-OMe) and of NCA of AAO
(e.g. Leu) in solution in a dioxane/toluene
mixture. The copoly(Glu-OMe) (Leu) obtained in
solution is recovered by precipitation in

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water, filtration and drying. This copolymer
is then subjected to acid hydrolysis by
incorporating it into TriFluoroAcetic acid
(TFA), in which it dissolves. A copolymer
5 Glu-O-Na)(Leu) is recovered after
neutralizing, dialysis, filtration and
freeze-drying. This coPAA is dispersed in an
aqueous solution of NaCl and a suspension of
nanoparticles spontaneously forms. As
10 indicated above, the latter have a Dh size
greater than 150 nm and an insulin load
factor Ta of 6.50%.
It is therefore evident from the above that the earlier
15 technical proposals described above, and in particular proposal (i) , incompletely satisfy the new .specifications indicated above, and in particular a capacity for sterilizing by filtration, a high rate of degradation, adaptability to constraints for
20 administering medicaments by injection, low cost and high PA load factor.
As regards the sterilizing filtration capacity, it is important that the PV particles are sufficiently small ~o pass, in suspension in a liquid, across filters
25 whose cut-off is less than or equal to 0.2 um, without clogging. Such ease and efficiency of filtration sterilization are particularly appreciated for injectable medicaments. As regards the capacity for injection of the PVs, it is
30 appropriate, for a given dose of PA, to be able to inject small volumes of liquid suspension, and that this suspension is not very viscous. This involves being able to reduce the quantities of excipient (PV) compared with the targeted therapeutic dose of PA and
35 to provide PVs having a size which is as small as possible, while increasing, the loading capacity of PA. As regards the specification relating to biodegradability of the PVs, the smaller the size of

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the PVs, the better it is and it allows their rapid elimination.
In addition, it is appreciable to be able to reduce the quantities of excipient (PV) for economic reasons and
5 so as to enhance the tolerance of the injectable medicament.
BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Under these circumstances, an essential objective is to
10 be able to provide novel PVs which spontaneously form, and without the aid of surfactants or of organic solvents, stable aqueous suspensions of PV. Another essential objective of the present invention is to provide novel PVs in stable aqueous colloidal
15 suspension or in pulverulent form . and based on poly(amino acids) (PAA), these novel PVs having to satisfy as much as possible specifications 1 -o 8 of the abovementioned specifications. Another essential objective of the invention is to
20 improve the particles disclosed in PCT application WO 96/29991.
Another essential objective of the invention is to provide a novel suspension of PV whose characteristics are perfectly controlled, in particular in terms of PA
25 load factor and in terms of control of kinetics of release of PA,
Another essential objective of the invention is to. provide injectable medicinal suspensions. The specifications, which are required for such
30 suspensions, are a low volume for injection and a low viscosity. It is . important for the mass of colloidal particles per injection dose to be as low as possible, without limiting the quantity of active principle PA transported by these particles, so as not to damage the
35 therapeutic efficacy.
Another essential objective of the invention is to provide an aqueous colloidal suspension or a pulverulent solid comprising particles for carrying active principles satisfying the specifications

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targeted above and which constitutes an appropriate and suitable galenic form for administration, for example oral administration, to humans or animals. Another essential objective of the invention is to
5 provide a colloidal suspension comprising particles for carrying active principles which can be filtered on 0.2 um filters for sterilization purposes. Another essential objective of the invention is to propose a method for preparing PAA particles (dry or in
10 suspension in a liquid) which are useful in particular as vectors for active principles, it being necessary for said method to be simpler to use, nondenaturing for the active principles and, in addition, to always allow fine control of the mean particle size of the particles
15 obtained.
Another essential objective of the invention is the use of the abovementioned particles in aqueous suspension or in solid form for the preparation:
• of medicaments (e.g. vaccines), in particular
20 for administration, in particular oral, nasal,
vaginal, ocular, subcutaneous, intravenous,
intramuscular, intradermal, intraperitoneal,
intracerebral or parenteral administration, it
being possible for the active principles of
25 these medicaments to be, in particular,
proteins, glycoproteins, peptides, polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, oligonucleotides and polynucleotides,
• and/or of nutrients,
30 • and/or of cosmetic or plant-protection products,
• and/or of organic medicinal molecules.
Another essential objective of the present invention is
to provide submicronic PV suspensions based on PAA and
35 capable of serving as vector for a PA, in particular one which is medicinal, for administration of said PA to a human or animal organism, or alternatively for a nutritional, plant-protection or cosmetic PA.

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Another objective of the present invention is to provide a medicament, such as the system for prolonged release of active principles, which is easy and economical to produce and which is, in addition,
5 biocompatible and capable of providing a . very high level, of bioavailability of the PA.
Another essential -objective of the invention is to provide a system for carrying a vaccine, which is intrinsically nonimmunogenic and in combination with
10 one or more antigens.
The objectives relating to the products (inter alia) are achieved by the present invention which relates, first of all, to a stable colloidal suspension of
15 submicronic structured particles which can be used, in particular for carrying active principle(s) PA(s), these particles being individualized (discrete) supramolecular arrangements:
o based on linear, amphiphilic polyamino acids
20 (PAA), with peptide linkages and comprising at
least two different types of recurring amino
acids: hydrophilic AAI and hydrophobic neutral
AAO, the amino acids of each type being
mutually identical or different,
25 o and capable of combining in colloidal
suspension, in the nondissolved state, at least
one PA and of releasing it, in particular in
vivo, in a prolonged and/or delayed manner,
characterized:
30 • in that the AAI(s) of the polymer chains
is(are) chosen from amino acids with an
ionizable side chain, the natural amino acids
Glu and Asp in carboxylic form and/or in the
form of salts being particularly preferred,
35 • in that the AAO(s) of the polymer chains
is(are) chosen from the group comprising natural neutral amino acids, preferably those belonging to the subgroup comprising: Leu, He, Val, Ala, Gly, Phe;

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• in that the particles are stable in aqueous
phase at pH between 4 and 13 in the absence
of surfactant(s),
• by a load factor Ta for the vector particles
5 with insulin, expressed as % of combined
insulin mass relative to the mass and
measured according to a procedure Ma, Ta
being such that:
7 10 preferably, 8 and, still more preferably, 10 • and by a mean hydrodynamic diameter Dh
expressed in nanometers (nm) and measured
according to a procedure Md, Dh being such
15 that:
10 nm preferably, 20 nm DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
20 The procedures Md and Ma for the Dh and Ta measurements are detailed below.
Procedure Md:
The pulverulent PAA powder is suspended in a
25 0.15 M aqueous sodium chloride solution at pH 7.4,
25 °C and at a polymer concentration of between
0.01 and 0.5 g/1 and, preferably, equal to
0.1 g/1. This suspension is stirred for 4 hours,
and then introduced into the scattering cell of a
30 light scattering apparatus, of the Brookhaven
type, functioning with a laser beam having a
wavelength of 488 nm and vertically polarized. The
hydrodynamic diameter is calculated from the
electric field autocorrelation function by the
35 cumulant method, as described in the manual
"Surfactant Science Series" volume 22, Surfactant
Solutions, Ed. R. Zana, chap. 3, M. Dekker, 1984.

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Procedure Ma:
(a) Preparation of an aqueous insulin solution:
freeze-dried human recombinant insulin (Sigma
No. 10259) is poured into a 0.1 N HC1
5 solution over 5 min at 25°C. This solution is
then poured into a phosphate buffer solution
which is finally neutralized by adding 0.1 N
NaOH. The solution is then allowed to stand
for 30 min at room temperature, and then
10 filtered on 0.8-0.2 μ acrodisc membrane. The
mass of insulin is calculated according to the desired volume of solution, in order to obtain a concentration of 60 IU/ml.
(b) Dispersion of the vector particles in PAA to
15 be combined in the insulin solution: the
freeze-dried PVs are added to the insulin
solution, in an amount of 10 mg PV/ml of
solution. This mixture is stirred on a vortex
two or three times, and then placed in
20 rocking shaker at room temperature for 18
hours. The colloidal suspension is then stored at 4°C.
(c) Separation of free insulin from combined
insulin and assay of free insulin: the
2 5 solution containing zhe insulin and the PVs
is centrifuged for 1 hour at 60 000 g at 20°C. The supernatant is placed in tubes provided with an ultrafiltration membrane (cut-off 100 000 Da) and centrifuged at
30 3 COO g, 2 hours at 20°C. The insulin in the
filtrate is assayed by HPLC.
One of the inventive bases of these novel vector particles PV, in stable aqueous colloidal suspension or
35 in the form of pulverulent solid, is due to the innovative selection of a group of polymers and of an innovative methodology which make it possible to obtain particles of submicronic size, which form a stable

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aqueous colloidal suspension in the absence of surfactants or solvents.
Another inventive basis of these novel vector particles PV, in stable aqueous colloidal suspension or in the
5 pulverulent solid state, is due to the innovative selection of a group of particular submicronic structured particles by their load factor Ta > 7% and their size Da 10 producing the particles. Indeed, the reduction in size and the increase in the loading capacity of the particles of polyamir.o acids was a priori not obvious. Thus, using the method for producing nanoparticles of polyamino acid taught in PCT application WO 96/29991,
15 persons skilled in the art were not able to obtain, "to measure", particles which correspond to the new specifications, as defined above.
Finally, it is by modifying the compositions of the polymers and the operating conditions that the
20 inventors were able to isolate these structured particles of very small size which are based on PAA and which have, quite surprisingly and unexpectedly, a load capacity Ta for insulin which may be up to three tines higher than that characteristic of the particles
25 according to WO 96/29991.
Advantageously, the suspension according to the invention is characterized in that the submicronic particles do not acquire their cohesion from the
30 presence of the following three compounds: - I) oil
II) aqueous phase
III) and at least one synthetic non-crosslinked linear copolyamino acid comprising at
35 least two different types of amino acid comonomer: hydrophilic AAI and hydrophobic AAO, unlike the suspension of microparticles according to patent application FR 2 746 035.

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The structure of the PAA polymers and the nature of the amino acids are chosen such that:
• the polymer chains are spontaneously
structured in the form of small-sized
5 particles (PV),
• the particles form a stable colloidal
suspension in water and in physiological
medium,
• the PVs combine with proteins or other PAs in
10 aqueous medium, by a spontaneous mechanism
which is nondenaturing for the protein,
• the PVs release the PAs in physiological
medium and, more precisely, in vivo; the
kinetics of release depend on the nature of
15 the PAA polymer which is the precursor for
the PVs.
Thus, by modifying the particular structure of the PAA, it is possible to control the phenomena for combining
20 and releasing the PA from the kinetic and quantitative point of view.
It is to the applicant's credit to have chosen, as constituent material of the PVs, a particular composition of polyamino acids which are amphiphilic
25 and which therefore possess properties of the PVs in PAA, namely:
• possibility of spontaneously forming
colloidal suspensions of PV which are
compatible with the pH of the physiological
30 media encountered in the therapeutic
applications targeted,
• spontaneous combination of the PAs with PVs
in the absence of another agent apart from
water which serves as solvent for them and
35 which, in the case of proteins, is not
denaturing,
• possibility of releasing the PA from the PA-
PV combination complex, under physiological
conditions, with pharmacokinetic and

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pharmacodynamic profiles, which make it
possible to envisage advantageous uses in the
therapeutic field (PA vectorization),
and which, moreover, have novel properties which are:
5 • filterability with a cut-off of less than or
equal to 0.2 urn for sterilization purposes,
• improved biodegradability,
• optimized injection capacity.
10 It was possible to obtain these new properties by virtue of the primary technical functions of the- PVs which are the small nanometric size and the high load factor. To define these PAAs a little further, it is possible
15 to indicate that they can be of the alternating sequential, ordered (block) type or of . the random sequential, disordered type.
Thus, according to a first embodiment of the PVs according to the invention, the constituent .PAAs are of
20 the "block" ' type and are characterized by an AAO/(AAI+AAO) molar ratio such that:
• 10% • preferably, 20% AAO/(AAI+AAO) £ 60%,
• and still more preferably, 35% Advantageously, the absolute length of each AAO block, expressed as number of AAO is such that:
• preferably, AAO > 10,
30 • and, still more preferably, 20 According to a second embodiment of the PVs according to the invention, the constituent PAAs are of the "random" type, that is to say are prepared by
35 simultaneous copolyinerization of AAI and AAO monomers, and the AAO/(AAO+AAI) molar ratio is such that:
• AAO/(AAO+AAI) > 10%,
• and, preferably, AAO/(AAO+AAI) > 20%,

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• and, still more preferably, 30% Advantageously, the molar mass Mw of these random PAAs
5 is such that:
• Mw > 2 000 g/mol,
• preferably, Mw > 5 500 g/mol,
• and still more preferably, 5 500 g/mol 10
According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, the constituent block or random PAAs of the particles have degrees of polymerization DP of between 30 and 600, preferably between 50 and 200, and still
15 more preferably between 60 and 150.
Advantageously, the constituent PAAs of the PV particles are "diblock" PAAs.
The present invention relates, not only to suspensions 20 of uncoated particles, as defined above, but also to
particles comprising at least one active principle PA.
Preferably, the suspension according to the invention
is aqueous and stable. These particles, loaded or not
with PA, are advantageously in. dispersed form in a 25 liquid (suspension), preferably an aqueous liquid, but
may also be in a pulverulent solid state, obtained from
the suspension of PV as defined above.
Accordingly, the invention relates, apart from to a
30 colloidal suspension (preferably aqueous suspension) of PV, to a pulverulent solid comprising PVs and obtained from the suspension according to the invention. Another essential subject of the invention relates to the preparation of the selected particles (as described
35 above) , both in the form of a colloidal suspension
and in the form of a pulverulent solid. The method of preparation considered essentially consists in synthesizing precursor PAAs and in converting them to structured particles.

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More precisely, this includes, first of all, a method for preparing submicronic structured particles capable of being used, in particular for carrying active principle(s), these particles being discrete
5 supramolecular arrangements:
• based on linear amphiphilic polyamino acids
(PAA), with linkages (-AAI hydrophilic and
AAO hydrophobic, the amino acids of each type being mutually identical or different;
10 • having a mean diameter Dh, expressed in nm
and measured according to a procedure Md, such that: 10 1.5 • on the one hand capable of forming a stable
colloidal suspension' by simple mixing in an aqueous medium, without it being necessary to add a solvent or surfactants thereto;
• and on the other hand, capable of combining
20 in a liquid medium, with at least one PA and,
in particular, with insulin according to a
load factor Ta, expressed as %, and measured
according to a procedure Ma such that: 7 Ta, preferably 8 25 hand, of releasing it, in particular in vivo,
in a prolonged and controlled manner.
This method is characterized in that:
1. a copolymerization of monomers N-Carboxy-
30 Anhydrides of amino acids (NCA) of at least two
different types, on the one hand, NCAs-pAAI
{"pAAI" designating a precursor of AAI) and, on
the other hand, NCAs-AAO, is carried out in the
presence:
35 o of at least one nonaromatic polar solvent,
preferably chosen from the group
comprising: N-MethylPyrrolidone (NMP),
. DiMethylFormamide (DMF), Dimethyl
Sulfoxide (DMSO), DiMethylAcetamide

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(DMAc), pyrrolidone, NMP being most particularly preferred, o and, optionally of at least one protic cosolvent preferably chosen from the group comprising pyrrolidone, water, alcohols; methanol being particularly preferred;
10
15
2. the recurring pAAI motifs of the precursor PAA copolymer of the particles are converted to recurring AAI motifs, using hydrolysis, preferably acid hydrolysis, for which an aqueous acid phase is added to the organic medium described above;
3. optionally, the reaction medium is neutralized;
4. optionally, the reaction medium is purified by dialysis in order to. obtain an aqueous suspension of structured particles;
5. optionally, this suspension is concentrated;
6. optionally, the liquid medium is removed in order to collect the pulverulent solid comprising the particles.
The first step of the - method is based on known techniques of polymerization of anhydrides of N-carboxy-(-amino acids (NCA), described, for example, in
25 the article "Biopolymers, 15, 1869 (1976)" and in the
book by H.R. KRICHELDORF "(-Aminoacid-N-carboxy
Anhydride and Related Heterocycles" Springer Verlag
(1987). The use of judiciously chosen polar nonaromatic
aprotic copolymerization solvents, while avoiding any
30 precipitation and the use of acid hydrolysis in the presence of water and of nonaromatic polar organic solvent, constitute novel and inventive modalities which lead to structured, discrete and submicronic particles with a high PA load capacity, and which form
35 a stable colloidal suspension in aqueous medium. These particles are not at all comparable to a macroscopic agglomerated precipitate of the type mentioned above in relation to the earlier proposal (d).

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According to one variant, at the end of step 1, the
copolymer poly(A00)(pAAI) obtained is precipitated -
preferably in water - and this precipitate is
recovered. This variant corresponds to a batch mode for
5 preparing particles, in which the copolymer
poly(AAO) (pAAI) is isolated in the form of a
precipitate forming a stable intermediate product. This
precipitate may be, for example, filtered, washed and
dried.
10 Still more preferably, the NCAs-pAAJ are NCAs of
O-alkylated glutamic or aspartic acid, for example NCA-
Glu-O-Me, NCA-Glu-O-Et or NCA-Glu-O-Bz (Me = methyl -
Et = ethyl - Bz = benzyl).
In a known manner, the copolymerization takes place at 15 a temperature between 20 and 120 °C,. at atmospheric
•pressure and in the presence of an amine-containing initiator, e.g.: NH3. Other experimental parameters, such as the concentration of NCA and/or polymer in the
nonaromatic polar solvent (preferably NMP), and/or the 20 concentration or the nature of the protic cosolvent,
during the synthesis, will be adjusted according to the
desired effects known to persons skilled in the art.
The acid hydrolysis (step 2) is carried out using water
and at least one inorganic acid such as phosphoric or 25 hydrochloric aid - the latter being preferred - and/or
an organic acid, such as TriFluoroAcetic acid (TFA),
acetic acid, dichloroacetic acid or organosulfonic
acids.
The water/acid ratios - expressed in parts by weight -30 in an acidic aqueous phase for hydrolysis are
advantageously:
• from 60/1 to 2/1,
• preferably 40/1 to 2/1,
• and, still more preferably, 20/1 to 2/1. 35
The acidic aqueous phase for hydrolysis/NMP ratios -expressed in parts by weight - are advantageously:
• from 5/100 to 200/100
• preferably 10/100 to 100/100

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and still more preferably from 20/100 to 80/100.
Other parameters, such as the polymer concentration,
5 the temperature of the reaction mixture, the mode of adding the acidic aqueous phase for hydrolysis, the use of reduced pressure, the duration of the reaction, and the like, are adjusted according to the desired effects and are well known to persons skilled in the art.
10 The neutralization (step 3) is carried out in practice,
for example, using sodium hydroxide.
The salt formed after neutralization as well as che solvent are then removed by any appropriate physical
15 separation treatment, for example by diafiltration (dialysis) (step 4) , filtration, pH modification, chromatography and the like.
This gives an aqueous suspension of . structured particles which may be concentrated, for example, by
20 distillation or any other suitable physical means: ultrafiltration, centrifugation.
To separate, in step 6, the. particles from their liquid suspension medium, the aqueous phase is optionally removed, for example, by drying (e.g. in an oven) by
25 freeze-drying or any other suitable physical means: ultrafiltration, centrifugation. A white pulverulent solid is recovered at the end of this step 6. According to one variant, the concentration step may be carried out by a chemical treatment, such as a
30 reduction in the pH, which converts to an acid the hydrophilic part of the glutamate monomers, making them insoluble in water. These acidic PAA intermediates may be filtered, washed and dried. Said acidic intermediates nay be neutralized with a chemical base
35 in a subsequent step in order to obtain a suspension of particles.
It should be noted that the use of steps 1, 2, 3, 4 and optionally 5 of the above method corresponding to a

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preparation of a colloidal suspension of submicronic particles and to a high load factor with the PAs. During this preparation of colloidal suspension, the amphiphilic PAAs poly(AAO)(AAI) of step 2 are placed in
5 an aqueous medium in which at least part of the AAIs is soluble and at least part of the AAOs is insoluble. The PAAs exist in the form of nanoparticles in this aqueous medium.
An alternative for preparing the PV suspension
10 according to the invention consists in bringing the pulverulent solid, as described above and as product and by its method of production, into contact with a nonsolvent aqueous medium for the AAOs.
15 To carry out the combination of one or more PAs with the particles, it is possible to use several methods in accordance with the invention. Nonlimiting examples of these methods are listed below. According to a first method, the combination of PA with
20 the particles is carried out by bringing a liquid phase
(aqueous or otherwise) containing the PA into contact
with the colloidal suspension of particles.
According to a second method, the combination of the PA
with the particles is carried out by bringing a PA in
25 the solid state into contact with the colloidal suspension of particles. The solid PA may be, for example, in freeze-dried, precipitate or powdered form or the like. According to a third method, the pulverulent solid
30 (PAA), as described above as product and by its production characteristics, is brought into contact with a liquid phase (aqueous or otherwise) containing the PA. According to a fourth method, the pulverulent solid, as
35 described above as product and by its production characteristics, is brought into contact with the PA in solid form. This mixture of solids is then dispersed in a liquid phase, preferably an aqueous solution.

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In all these methods, the PA used may be in pure or preformulated form.
Given the . nanometric size of the particles, the
5 suspension may be filtered on sterilizing filters, which makes it possible to obtain, easily and at a lower cost, sterile injectable medicinal liquids. The fact that it is possible, by virtue of the invention, to control the size of the particles and reach Dh
10 values of between 25 and 100 nm, is a major advantage.
The present invention also relates to novel intermediate products of the method described above, characterized in that they consist of PAA copolymers
15 which are precursors of particles. .
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION
According to another of its aspects, the invention relates to a suspension and/or a pulverulent solid, as
20 defined above and/or as obtained by the method
presented above, this suspension and this solid comprising at least one active principle preferably chosen from:
• vaccines,
25 • proteins and/or peptides, among which those most preferably selected are: hemoglobins, cytochromes, albumins, interferons, antigens, antibodies, erythropoietin, 'insulin, growth hormones, factors VIII and IX, interleukins or
30 mixtures thereof, hematopoiesis-stirnulating
factors,
• polysaccharides, heparin being more
particularly selected,
• nucleic .acids and, preferably, RNA and/or DNA
35 oligonucleotides,
• non-petido-protein molecules belonging to various anticancer chemotherapy classes and, in particular, anzhracyclines and taxoids,
• and mixtures thereof.

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The invention also relates to a suspension and/or the pulverulent solid loaded with nutritional, plant-protection or cosmetic PA.
5 Finally, the invention relates to a pharmaceutical, nutritional, plant-protection or cosmetic proprietary product, characterized in that it comprises a suspension and/or the pulverulent solid loaded with PA and as defined above.
10 According to another of its subjects, the invention also relates to the use of these PVs (in suspension or in solid form) loaded with PA, for the manufacture of medicaments such as systems with controlled release of PA.
15 In the case of medicaments, they may be, for example, those which can be administered, preferably by the oral, nasal, vaginal, ocular, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intradermal, intraperitoneal, intracerebral or parenteral route.
20 The cosmetic applications which may be envisaged are, for example, compositions comprising a PA combined with the PVs according to the invention and which can be applied by the transdermal route. The relevant plant-protection products may be, for
25 example, herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and the like.
The following examples will make it possible to better understand the invention in its various produce/method/application aspects. These examples
30 illustrate the preparation of particles of polyamino acids loaded or otherwise with active principles, and they likewise present the structural characteristics and the properties of these particles.
35 LEGEND TO THE FIGURES
Fig. 1: Nanoparticles corresponding to a block copolymer la: leucine 50/glutamate 50 obtained according to the teaching of patent WO 96/29991.

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Fig. 2: Nanoparticles obtained with the block copolymer according to the present invention (example 2). It will be noted that the bar now represents here only 50 nm.
5 Fig. 3: Variation in the glucose concentration (mean at % basal on 4 dogs) after injection of a PV formulation loaded with insulin in an amount of 2 IU/kg.
Fig. 4: Variation in the serum insulin concentration
10 (mean on 4 dogs) after injection of a PV formulation
loaded with insulin in an amount of 2 IU/kg.
EXAMPLES
15 EXAMPLE 1 - Production, in aqueous stable colloidal suspension and in pulverulent solid form, of vector particles, from a block polyamino acid, poly(Leu/Glu) 40/80 diblock
112.4 g of NCA-GluOMe (0.60 mol) and 4 49 g of N-methyl-
20 2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) are introduced, with stirring, into a 1 liter reactor thermostated at 20°C. After dissolution, 21.38 g of a 0.34 M solution of ammonia in 1,4-dioxane (1.25 mol%/NCA) are added. The polymerization is monitored by measuring the carbon
25 dioxide emitted into a gas bell jar and verified by disappearance of vibration bands characteristic of the NCAs at 1860 and 1790 cm-1. After 30 min, a solution of 47.17 g of NCA Leucine (0.30 mol) in 631 g of NMP is introduced. After 10 min of reaction, the temperature
30 is increased to 60°C. The polymerization is monitored as above and is complete after 2 hours. The temperature of the reaction mixture obtained is increased to 80°C. 31.5 g of aqueous concentrated hydrochloric acid (35%, 12 M) are added, with mechanical stirring over 30 min,
35 to 350 g of the reaction mixture obtained at the end of step 1. The reactor is then placed under reduced pressure regulated at 600 mBar for 6 hours. A mixture of 31.5 g of 35% hydrochloric acid and of 126 g of water is then added over 60 min, followed by a second

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phase of vacuum at 250 mBar for 18 hours. In this example, the overall water/pure hydrochloric acid ratio is 7.6/1 by mass and the acidic aqueous phase/NMP ratio is 60/100 by mass.
5 The reaction mixture is then cooled to 50°C and then neutralized with aqueous sodium hydroxide (35% by mass). The NMP and the sodium chloride formed during the neutralization are removed by diafiltration against 20 volumes of Milli Q water, on a membrane with an MWCO
10 of 1 000 Daltons (Pellicon II system, Millipore) . A stable aqueous colloidal suspension of vector nanoparticles is thus obtained. The suspension of nanoparticles is finally freeze-dried. The contents of leucine motifs are determined by proton
15 nuclear magnetic resonance (signals at 2.10., 2.22 and 2.58 ppm for 4H of Glu and at 0.85 ppm for 6H of Leu). The mean hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) is 70 nm (according to Md).
20 EXAMPLE 2 - Combination of insulin with the nanoparticles of poly(Leu/Glu) 40/80
The procedure Ma is used. The concentration of free
insulin, assayed by HPLC chromatography is equal to
0.59 mg/ml and the combined insulin concentration equal
25 to 1.51 mg/ml is deduced therefrom. The load capacity for a colloidal solution of 10 mg/ml reaches 1.51 mg/ml of insulin. Thus, the ratio of the mass of combined insulin to the bLE (Ta) mass is 15.1%.
30 EXAMPLE 3 - Production, in stable colloidal aqueous suspension and in pulverulent solid form, of vector particles from a block PAA poly(Leu/glu) 25/70 biblock
146.4 g of NCA GluOMe are dissolved in 586 g of NMP to which 18.43 g of a 0.48 M solution of ammonia in
35 methanol are added. When the polymerization of the NCA G GluOMe is complete, a solution of 43.9 g of NCA Leu in 708 g of NMP is introduced and the polymerization of the NCAs Leu is continued until disappearance of the monomers is obtained. The medium is then heated to 80°C

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and 129.4 g of 35% HC1 are added dropwise thereto over 30 min to 1 hour. A 600 mBar vacuum is applied for 6 hours, and then an additional 129.4 g of 35% HC1 are added as a mixture with 517.5 g of water. A 250 mBar
5 vacuum is then applied for 18 hours. After this step, the temperature is reduced to 50°C, 1 liter of water is introduced, followed by 280 ml of 35% NaOH in order to bring the pH to 7.4. The suspension is then filtered (5 pm) , dialyzed (cut-off 1 000 Da) in water, in order
10 to remove the solvent and the salts, and finally filtered (0.22 urn) . This suspension may be directly used or may be subjected to subsequent treatments, such as distillation of the water (step 5) or freeze-drying (step 6).
15 The mean hydrodynamic diameter Dh (according to Md) is 14.8%. The insulin load factor Ta, determined according to the procedure Ma, is 35 nm.
EXAMPLE 4 - Production, in stable aqueous colloidal
20 suspension, of vector nanoparticles, from a block polyamino acid, poly(Leu/Glu) 50/70 diblock and characteristics of the nanoparticles
38.9 g of NCA-GluOMe (0.208 mol) and 156 g of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (MMP) are introduced, with stirring,
25 into a 0.5 liter reactor thermostated at 30°C. After dissolution, 5.79 g of a 0.407 M solution of ammonia in methanol (1.25 mol%/NCA) are added. The polymerization is monitored by measuring the carbon dioxide emitted into a gas bell jar and verified by disappearance of
30 vibration bands characteristic of the NCAs at 18 60 and 1790 cm-1. After 30 min, a solution of 23.3 g of NCA Leucine (0.148 mol) in 263 g of NMP is introduced. After 10 min of reaction, the temperature is increased to 60°C. The polymerization is monitored as above and
35 is complete after 1-2 hours. The temperature of the reaction mixture obtained previously is increased to 80°C. 41.9 g of aqueous hydrochloric acid (35% of the mass) are added, with mechanical stirring over 30 min, to the reaction mixture. The reactor is then placed

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under reduced pressure regulated at 600 mBar for 6 hours. A mixture of 41.9 g of 35% hydrochloric acid and of 167.5 g of water is then added over 60 min, followed by a second phase of vacuum at 250 mBar for 18 hours.
5 The reaction mixture is then cooled to 50°C and then neutralized with aqueous sodium hydroxide (35% by mass). The NMP and the sodium chloride formed during the neutralization are removed by diafiltration against 20 volumes of Milli Q water, on a membrane with an MWCO
10 of 1 000 Daltons (Pellicon II system, Millipore) . A stable aqueous colloidal suspension of vector nanoparticles is thus obtained. The suspension of nanoparticles is finally freeze-dried. The mean hydrodynamic diameter Dh is measured according
15 to Md on aqueous suspensions of the freeze-dried products. The insulin load factor Ta is determined according to the procedure Ma.
EXAMPLE 5 - Production, in stable aqueous colloidal
20 suspension of vector nanoparticles, from a block polyamino acid, poly(Leu/Glu) 25/35 diblock and characteristics of the nanoparticles
38.9 g of NCA-GluOMe (0.208 mol) and 156 g of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) are introduced, with stirring,
25 into a 0.5 liter reactor thermostated at 30°C. After dissolution, 5.78 g of a 0.452 M solution of ammonia in methanol (1.25 mol%/NCA) are added. The polymerization is monitored by measuring the carbon dioxide emitted into a gas bell jar and verified by disappearance of
30 vibration bands characteristic of the NCAs at 1860 and 17 90 cm-1. After 30 min, a solution of 23.3 g of NCA Leucine (0.149 mol) in 5 219 g of NMP is introduced. After 10 min of reaction,...the temperature is increased to 60°C. The polymerization is monitored as above and
35 is complete after 1~2/ hours. The temperature of the reaction mixture obtained previously is increased to 80°C. 42.0 g of aqueous hydrochloric acid (35% of the mass) are added, with mechanical stirring over 30 min, to the reaction mixture. The reactor is then placed

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under reduced pressure regulated at 600 mBar for 6 hours. A mixture of 42.0 g of 35% hydrochloric acid and of 167.9 g of water is then added over 60 min, followed by a second phase of vacuum at 250 mBar for 18 hours.
5 The reaction mixture is then cooled to 50°C and then neutralized with aqueous sodium hydroxide (35% by mass). The NMP and the sodium chloride formed during the neutralization are removed by diafiltration against 20 volumes of Milli Q water, on a membrane with an MWCO
10 of 1 000 Daltons (Pellicon II system, ' Millipore) . A stable aqueous colloidal suspension of vector nanoparticles is thus obtained. The suspension of nanoparticles is finally freeze-dried. The contents of leucine motifs are determined by proton
15 nuclear magnetic resonance (signals at 2.10, 2.22 and 2.58 ppm for 4H of Glu and at 0.85 ppm for 6H of Leu) . The mean hydrodynamic diameter Dh is measured according to Md on aqueous suspensions of the freeze-dried products. The insulin load factor is determined
20 according to Ma.
EXAMPLE 6 - Production, in stable aqueous colloidal suspension of vector nanoparticles, from a block polyamino acid, poly(Leu/Glu) 50/150 diblock and
25 characteristics of the nanophases
46.4 g of NCA-GluOMe (0.248 mol) and 186 g of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) are introduced, with stirring, into a 0.5 liter reactor thermcstated at 30 °C. After dissolution, 6.90 g of a 0.19 M solution of ammonia in
30 methanol (1.25 mol%/NCA) are added. The polymerization is monitored by measuring the carbon dioxide emitted into a gas bell jar and verified by disappearance of vibration bands characteristic of the NCAs at 18 60 and 17 90 cm-1. After 30 min, a solution of 12.97 g of NCA
35 Leucine (0.083 mol) in '218 g of NMP is introduced. After 10 min of reaction, the temperature is increased to 60°C. The polymerization is monitored as above and is complete after 1-2 hours. The temperature of the reaction mixture obtained previously is increased to

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80 °C. 40.3 g of aqueous hydrochloric acid (35% of the mass) are added, with mechanical stirring over 30 min, to the reaction mixture. The reactor is then placed under reduced pressure regulated at 600 mBar for 6
5 hours. A mixture of 40.3 g of 35% hydrochloric acid and of 161.3 g of water is then added over 60 min, followed by a second phase of vacuum az 250 mBar for 18 hours. The reaction mixture is then cooled to 50°C and then neutralized with aqueous sodium hydroxide (35% by
10 mass).
The NMP and the sodium chloride formed during the neutralization are removed by diafiltration against 20 volumes of Milli Q water, on a membrane with an NWCO.of 1 000 Daltons (Pellicon II system, Millipore). A stable
15 aqueous colloidal suspension of vector nanoparticles is thus
obtained. The suspension of nanophases is finally freeze-dried.
The contents of leucine motifs are determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (signals at 2.10, 2.22 and
20 2.58 ppm for 4H of Glu and at 0.85 ppm for 6H of Leu). The
mean hydrodynamic diameter Dh is measured according to Md. The insulin load factor is determined according to Ma.
25 EXAMPLE 7 - Comparative example of the nature of the particles
formed with the teaching of PCT patent WO 96/29991
The particles obtained by the teaching of patent WO 96/29991 are those which appear in Fig. 1.
30 Advantageously, the particles according to the
invention are those which appear in the appended Fig. 2 corresponding to a photograph taken under a transmission electron microscope. The differences in morphology and size appear blatantly
35 on comparing Fig. 1 which represents PVs according to the prior art, on the one hand, and Fig. 2 showing PVs according to the invention, on the other hand. A notable difference in morphology is observed here. The

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PVs of Fig. 2 are such that the majority of the larger-sized particles exhibit an oblong shape.
EXAMPLE 8 - Test of stability of a colloidal suspension
5 prepared according to Example 2 with the polymer
poly(Leu/Glu) 40/80
The pulverulent powder of Example 2 is dissolved in an amount of 60 mg/ml of powder in a phosphate buffer. The pH was adjusted to 7.3 and the osmolality of the
10 suspension was adjusted to 300 mOsm/kg using a 5 M NaCl solution. The solution was filtered (0.22 urn) before being distributed at the rate of 5 ml into sterile 10 ml bottles. The stability of the samples was evaluated over a period of 4 months. Half of the
15 samples were kept at 4°C (± 2°C) while the other samples were maintained at laboratory temperature:25°C (±5°C). At given times, the samples are collected from the site of storage and equilibrated for 1 hour at room temperature before the analysis. The analytical methods
20 are detailed, the results being presented in the form of two tables.
1) Verification of the homogeneity of the colloidal solution: Without stirring the suspension, 100 ul
25 samples are collected thee times in order to represent the state of the solution at the top, in the middle and at. the bottom of the bottle. The refractive index of each sample is measured at 25 °C on an Abbe refractometer calibrated relative to pure water. Three
30 readings are made for each sample and the three mean values are compared. Any variation in the concentration of the solution results in a difference in refractive index.
35 2) Measurement of the hydrodynamic diameter: A 100 ul sample of the solution to be analyzed is diluted 120-fold with a 0.15 M NaCl solution and the Dh of the colloidal particles is - measured according to the protocol Md.

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3) Measurement of the viscosity: The measurements are carried out on 0.75 ml samples using an AR1000 rheometer (TA instruments) equipped with a Cone/Plane
5 geometry (cone 4 cm/2°C) at a temperature of 20.0°C +/-0.1°C (regulation by Pelletier effect). The viscosity curve as a function of the shear gradient is recorded for gradients varying from i to 100 s"1. At these concentrations, the solutions are slightly
10 rheofluidizing and the viscosity value selected is
taken for a gradient of 10 s"1.
The results obtained after aging at 4°C and 25°C are assembled in Tables I and II.
Table I - Aging at 4°C
TO Tl T2 T3 T4 T5
number of days of aging 0 9 28 59 92 127
homogeneity (index) sample 1 cm 1.3443 1.3442 1.3447 1.3438 1.3440 1.3443
sample 1.5 cm 1.3442 1.3442 1.3446 1.3439 1.3439 1.3440
sample 2 cm 1.3443 1.3442 1.3448 1.3439 1.3440 1.3440
hydrodynamic diameter(rati) 45 45 44 43 44 44
Viscosity (mPa.s) 246 246 250 250 262 250
Table II - Aging at 25°C
To Tl T2 T3 T4 T5
number of days of aging 0 9 28 59 92 127
homogeneity (index) sample 1 cm 1.3443 - 1.3448 1.3441 1.3440 1.3442
sample 1.5 cm 1.3442 - 1.3448 1.3441 1.3440 1.3442
sample 2 cm 1.3443 - 1.3447 1.3441 1.3440 1.3442
hydrodynamic diameter (nm) 45 - 44 44 45 46
viscosity (mPa.s) 246 - 246 250 284 240

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EXAMPLE 9 - Test of release of insulin in animals after administration of a suspension of particles containing insulin
A formulation is prepared from PV (of Example 3) and
5 insulin, the quantity of each being determined according to measurements of combination rate (Ma).. A group of 4 beagle dogs (males and females) weighing between 10 and 12 kg are fasted for 18 hours. A preparation is formulated and is composed of 80 IU of
10 insulin t 56 mg of PV in 1 ml of PBS buffer. The dogs then receive a subcutaneous administration of this insulin preparation at the rate of 2 IU/kg of weight. Blood sample collected for glucose and insulin assay before (-2h, -lh and Oh) and after (lh, 2h, 4h, 6h,
15 12h, 16h, 20h, 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h, 44h, 48h). the injection. The glucose concentrations are measured in the samples by the glucose oxidase method and serum insulin is assayed using a radioimmunological method. Fig. 3 gives the mean of the variation in glucose for
20 this formulation. Fig. 4 gives the mean of the variation in serum insulin for this formulation.
This example shows, through the biological activity, the nondenaturation of the protein as well as the
25 possibility of prolonging the release by > 24h, two advantageous aspects of the present invention.

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WO 01/37809 - 34 - PCT/FROO/02831
CLAIMS
1. A colloidal suspension of submicronic particles which can be used, in particular for carrying
5 active principle(s) (PA(s)), these particles being
individualized supramolecular arrangements:
• based on linear, amphophilic polyamino acids
(PAA), with a-peptide linkages and comprising
at least two different types of recurring amino
10 acids: hydrophilic AAI and hydrophobic neutral
AAO, the amino acids of each type being mutually identical or different,
• and capable of combining in colloidal
suspension, in the nondissolved state, at least
15 one PA and of releasing it, in particular in
vivo, in a prolonged and/or delayed manner, characterized: o in that the AAI (s) is (are) chosen from amino
acids with an ionizable side chain, the
20 natural amino acids Glu and Asp in carboxylic
form and/or in the form of salts being
particularly preferred, o in that the or is AAO(s) is (are) chosen from
the group comprising natural neutral amino
25 acids, preferably those belonging to the
subgroup comprising: Leu, lie, Val, Ala, Glyr
Phe; o in that it is stable at pH between 4 and 13
in the absence of surfactant(s),
30 o by a load factor Ta with insulin, expressed
as % of combined insulin mass relative to the
mass and measured according to a procedure
Ma, Ta being such that:
A 7 35 A preferably, 8 A and, still more preferably, 10 expressed in nm and measured according to a
procedure Md, Dh being such that:

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A 10 nm Dh A preferably, 20 nm 2. The suspension as claimed in claim 1,
5 characterized in that the submicronic particles do
not acquire their cohesion from the presence of the following three compounds:
- I) oil
- II) aqueous phase
10 - III) and at least one synthetic non-crosslinked linear copolyamino acid comprising at least two different types of amino acid comonomer: hydrophilic AAI and hydrophobic AAO.
15
3. The suspension as claimed in claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that the constituent PAAs of the
particles are "block" PAAs for which the
AAO{AAI+AAO) molar ratio, expressed as %, is such
20 that:
A 10% 25 between 50 and 100, and still more preferably between 60 and 150.
4. The suspension as claimed in any one of claims 1
to 3, characterized in that the constituent PAAs
30 of the particles are "diblock" PAAs.
5. The suspension as claimed in any one of claims 1
to 4, characterized in that it . is aqueous and
stable.
35
The suspension as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the particles comprise at least one active principle PA.

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7. A pulverulent solid, characterized in that it is obtained from the suspension as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6.
5 8. A method for preparing the pulverulent solid as
claimed in claim 7, characterized in that:
1) copolymerization of monomers consisting of
anhydrides of N-CarboxyAmino acids (NCA) of at
least two different types, on the one hand,
10 NCAs-pAAI ("pAAI" designating precursors of
AAI) and, on the other hand, NCAs-AAO, is
carried out in the presence:
of at least one nonaromatic polar solvent,
preferably chosen from the group
15 comprising: N-MethylPyrrolidone (NMP),
DiMethylFormamide (DMF), DiMethyl
Sulfoxide (DMSO), DiMethylAcetamide
(DMAc), pyrrolidone; NMP being most
particularly preferred;
20 - and optionally of at least one cosolvent
selected from aprotic solvents (preferably
1,4-dioxane) and/or protic solvents
(preferably pyrrolidone) and/or water
and/or alcohols, methanol being
25 particularly preferred;
2) the recurring pAAI motifs of the copolymer
obtained in step 1 are converted to recurring
AAI motifs, using hydrolysis, preferably , acid
hydrolysis, for which the copolymer obtained in
30 step 1 is brought into contact with an agueous
phase for acid hydrolysis + water;
3) the reaction medium is neutralized;
4) optionally, the reaction medium is dialyzed in order to purify the agueous suspension of
35 structured particles;
5) optionally, this suspension of step 4 is
concentrated;

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6) the liquid medium is removed in order to collect the pulverulent solid comprising the particles.
The method as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, at the end of step 1, the copolymer poly(AAO)(pAAI) obtained is precipitated preferably in water - and the precipitate is recovered.
10
10. A method for preparing the suspension as claimed
in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that
the pulverulent solid as claimed in claim 7 and/or
the pulverulent solid obtained by the method as
15 claimed in claim 8 are brought into contact with a nonsolvent aqueous medium for the AAOs.
11. A method for preparing the suspension as claimed
in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that
20 it comprises steps 1, 2, 3, 4 and optionally 5 of the method as claimed in claim 8.
12. A method for preparing the suspension as claimed
in claim 6, characterized in that the combination
25 of PA with the particles is carried out by bringing a liquid phase containing the PA into contact with the colloidal suspension of particles.
30 13. A method for preparing the suspension as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the combination of the PA with the particles is carried out by bringing a PA in the solid state into contact with the colloidal suspension of particles.

35

14. A method for preparing the suspension as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the pulverulent solid as claimed in claim 7 and/or the pulverulent solid obtained by the method as claimed in claim 8

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are brought into contact with a liquid phase containing the PA.
15. A method for preparing the suspension as claimed
5 in claim 6, characterized in that the pulverulent
solid as claimed in claim 7 and/or the pulverulent solid obtained by the method according to claim 8 are brought into contact with the PA in solid form and in that this mixture of solids is dispersed in
10 a liquid phase, preferably an aqueous solution.
16. An intermediate product of the method as claimed
in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that it consists
of PAA copolymers which are precursors of
15 particles.
17. The suspension as claimed in claim 6 and/or
obtained by the method as claimed in any one of
claims 12 to 15 and/or the pulverulent solid as
20 claimed in claim 7 comprising at least one active principle preferably chosen from: o vaccines,
o proteins and/or peptides, among which those
most preferably selected are: hemoglobins,
25 cytochromes, albumins, interferons, antigens,
antibodies, erythropoietin, insulin, growth hormones, factors VIII and IX, interleukins or mixtures thereof, hematopoiesis-stimulating factors,
30 o polysaccharides, heparin being more particularly selected, o nucleic acids and, preferably, RNA and/or DNA
oligonucleotides,
o non-petido-protein molecules belonging to
35 various anticancer chemotherapy classes and, in
particular, anthracyclines and taxoids, o and mixtures thereof.

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18. The suspension as claimed in claim 6 and/or the
suspension obtained by the method as claimed in
any one of claims 12 to 15, and/or the pulverulent
solid as claimed in claim 7, comprising at least
5 one nutritional, plant-protection or cosmetic active principle.
19. A pharmaceutical, nutritional, plant-protection or
cosmetic proprietary product, characterized in
10 that it comprises a suspension and/or the pulverulent solid as claimed in claim 17 or 18.


Dated this 02nd day of December, 2005.

Documents:

1359-mumnp-2005-abstract(15-10-2008).doc

1359-MUMNP-2005-ABSTRACT(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-abstract(amended)-(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-abstract(granted)-(20-2-2009).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-CANCELLED PAGES(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-CLAIMS(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-claims(5-12-2006).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-claims(granted)-(15-10-2008).doc

1359-mumnp-2005-claims(granted)-(20-2-2009).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-claims.doc

1359-mumnp-2005-claims.pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-CORRESPONDENCE(10-11-2008).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-CORRESPONDENCE(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-correspondence(ipo)-(19-3-2009).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-correspondence(ipo)-(20-2-2009).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-correspondence-others.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-correspondence-received-ver-010806.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-correspondence-received.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-description (complete).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-DESCRIPTION(COMPLETE)-(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-description(complete)-(5-12-2006).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-description(granted)-(20-2-2009).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-DRAWING(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-drawing(5-12-2006).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-drawing(amended)-(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-drawing(granted)-(20-2-2009).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-drawings.pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-FORM 1(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 1(5-12-2005).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 13(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 18(5-6-2006).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 2(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 2(complete)-(5-12-2006).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 2(granted)-(15-10-2008).doc

1359-mumnp-2005-form 2(granted)-(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 2(granted)-(20-2-2009).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-FORM 2(TITLE PAGE)-(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 2(title page)-(5-12-2006).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 2(title page)-(granted)-(20-2-2009).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-FORM 3(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 3(2-12-2005).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 3(5-12-2005).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 5(2-12-2005).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form 5(5-12-2005).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form-1.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form-2.doc

1359-mumnp-2005-form-2.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form-26.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form-3.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-form-5.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-pct-search report.pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-petition of under rule 138(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-PETITON UNDER RULE 137(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-PETITON UNDER RULE 138(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-power of authority(1-11-2006).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-power of authority(1-8-2006).pdf

1359-MUMNP-2005-POWER OF AUTHORITY(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-specification(amended)-(15-10-2008).pdf

1359-mumnp-2005-wo international publication report(5-12-2005).pdf


Patent Number 229748
Indian Patent Application Number 1359/MUMNP/2005
PG Journal Number 13/2009
Publication Date 27-Mar-2009
Grant Date 20-Feb-2009
Date of Filing 05-Dec-2005
Name of Patentee FLAMEL TECHNOLOGIES
Applicant Address Parc Club du Moulin a Vent, 33 avenue du Docteur G Levy F-69693 Cedex Venissieux
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 FRANK TOURAUD 14 rue Mazimin F-69003 Lyon
PCT International Classification Number A61K9/16
PCT International Application Number PCT/FR2000/02831
PCT International Filing date 2000-10-11
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 99/14751 1999-11-23 France