Treating blood or blood products with compounds which have a mustard, aziridinium or aziridine group and a nucleic acid binding group

Abstract

Methods and compositions for treating pathogens in material are described, including methods of decontaminating human fluids prior to processing in the clinical laboratory and methods for decontaminating blood products prior to in vivo use. The techniques handle large volumes of human serum without impairing the testing results. Novel compounds for photodecontaminating biological material are also contemplated which are compatible with clinical testing, in that they do not interfere with serum analytes.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method of inactivating a pathogen in mammalian blood or a mammalian blood product comprising: 
 (a) contacting, in vitro, mammalian blood or a mammalian blood product with a pathogen inactivating amount of a first compound that binds nucleic acid non-covalently and has a moiety selected from the group consisting of a mustard group, an aziridinium group, and an aziridine group, wherein the first compound has a greater inactivation efficiency against R17 than a second compound having the mustard group, aziridinium group, or aziridine group that does not bind nucleic acid non-covalently, and wherein the pathogen inactivating amount results in the inactivation of at least 1 log of a pathogen present in the blood or blood product, if any; and    (b) recovering the pathogen inactivated blood or blood product, wherein the recovered blood or blood product is suitable for therapeutic use in a mammal.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first compound binds nucleic acid non-covalently by a mode selected from the group consisting of intercalating, minor groove binding, major groove binding, phosphate backbone binding, and sequence specific binding.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2  wherein the pathogen is an RNA containing pathogen.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3  wherein the pathogen is HIV.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 2  wherein the pathogen is a DNA containing pathogen.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5  wherein the pathogen is a hepatitis virus.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the first compound comprises a polyamine.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the moiety is an aziridine.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the blood product comprises red blood cells.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the blood product is whole blood.