Walker R. Wharton, Ph.D.
Research Professor, Department of Pathology
Health Sciences Center
The University of New Mexico
Dr. Wharton has disclosed eight inventions to STC, received one UNM-affiliated issued U. S. patent, has three pending patent applications for his protocell technologies, and has one license agreement with Oncothyreon for his protocell technology.
Drug delivery is one of the most important areas in nanomedicine, which utilizes nanoscale materials and principles as part of medical interventions with the goal of curing diseases. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are very attractive because of their biocompatibility, high surface area, pore volume, uniform and tunable pore diameters, and surface chemistries. Recently, such porous silica particles have been used to deliver a wide range of drugs and therapeutic agents, including chemotherapy drugs, proteins, and DNA. Achieving high drug loading, however, is only one facet of the drug-delivery problem. It is equally important that loaded drugs are retained and protected before reaching target tissues or cells to maximize the drugs’ effectiveness and minimize their toxicity.
Dr. Wharton’s protocell technology is a nanostructure that is comprised of a porous inorganic particle/nanoparticle core and a lipid bilayer shell to form a protocell that can be useful for a wide range of applications. The porous particle/nanoparticle part of the protocell can be loaded with various desired cargos, including chemical molecules, nucleic acids, therapeutic agents, and/or nanoparticles. The lipid bilayer of the protocell can provide biocompatibility and can be modified to possess targeting molecules including, but not limited to, targeting peptides, antibodies, aptamers, and PEG (polyethylene glycol) to allow for targeted delivery of the cargo.
Dr. Wharton’s research focuses on the functional analysis of gene expression in leukemia and nanoparticle-based therapies.
ISSUED U. S. PATENTS (UNM-AFFILIATED)
8,992,984, Protocells and Their Use for Targeted Delivery of Multicomponent Cargos to Cancer Cells, issued March 31, 2015
PENDING PATENT APPLICATIONS
Protocells and Their Use for Targeted Delivery of Multicomponent Cargos to Cancer Cells
Protocells and Their Use for Targeted Delivery of Multicomponent Cargos to Cancer Cells
Protocells and Viral-Like Particles Useful in the Treatment of Cancer, Including Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(ALL)