# IMMUNOGENICITY OF LIPOSOMES

> **NIH NIH R01** · NATIONAL JEWISH HEALTH · 1987 · $139,803

## Abstract

The goal of this proposal is the development of an alternative method for
the preparation of immunogenic liposomal model membranes which circumvents
the need to synthesize the N-(hapten)-substituted derivatives of
phosphatidylethanolamine that were previously employed for this purpose.
Preformed liposomes, in which appropriate N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters
are anchored in the lipid bilayers, should (can) covalently bind materials
that possess a free, substitutable, amino group.  As a consequence of this
covalent attachment, the liposomes should be able to induce antibody
formation against these determinants (e.g., in mice); furthermore, the
response should be enhanced by incorporation of lipid A (a B cell mitogen)
into the same bilayers to which the determinant has been bound.  If
successful, these experiments would suggest inter alia that liposomes might
be employed for "vaccination" considering the likelihood that lipid
bilayers act as nonimmunogenic carriers and as a nontoxic adjuvant.

Besides such applications, several laboratories have also advocated the in
vivo use of liopsomes as vehicles for the delivery of cytotoxic agents to
specific cells (e.g., cancer cells).  To this end, methods have been
devised for attaching antibodies to the liposomal surface so that the
liposomes are selectively targeted to cells that bear the corresponding
antigen in their membrane.  Experiments in this proposal are designed to
test the possibility that antibodies, which are covalently bound to
liposomes via the NHS derivatives, may induce formation of
anti-antibodies.  These experiments are relevant to "liposomal therapy"
since the presence of anti-antibodies in the serum may not only interfere
with selective targeting, but also render the recipient susceptible to
allergic reactions upon subsequent readministration of liposomes with
attached antibodies.

A related project concerns the covalent attachment of liposomes, containing
the NHS derivatives, to cells in vitro.  Experiments will be performed to
investigate the fate of such liposomes, i.e., whether they remain stably
absorbed onto the cell surface, undergo fusion with the cell membrane, or
are endocytosed by the cell.  The results should indicate whether covalent
linkage between liposomes and cells may facilitate the transfer of foreign
material (e.g., DNA) from within the liposomes to the cytoplasm, and
thereby serve as a method for establishing cells that possess new
biological properties.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3126430
- **Project number:** 5R01AI015796-10
- **Recipient organization:** NATIONAL JEWISH HEALTH
- **SAM.gov UEI:** VLQKFEEJ3NE9
- **Principal Investigator:** STEPHEN C KINSKY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $139,803
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1978-09-01 → 1989-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3126430

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3126430, IMMUNOGENICITY OF LIPOSOMES (5R01AI015796-10). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3126430. Licensed CC0.

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