Photodynamic inactivation of viruses

摘要

In a process for the inactivation of enveloped viruses in a biological fluid buckminsterfullerene (C60) is used as a photosensitizer. In a photodynamic processes singlet oxygen is generated which is the active agent for the inactivation of viruses present in the fluid. The process comprises the following steps: contacting of a solution or dispersion of material derived from the human body or from the bodies of animals with buckminsterfullerene as a photosensitizer; saturation of the solution or dispersion with oxygen; and irradiation of the solution or dispersion with visible or invisible light for activating the oxygen into the singlet state until viruses contained in the solution or dispersion are inactivated. This virus inactivation is specially suitable for protein solutions, e.g. bovine serum albumin, BSA or plasma products of human origin.