SELECTIVE INACTIVATION OF VIRUSES IN THE PRESENCE OF HUMAN PLATELETS - UV SENSITIZATION WITH PSORALEN DERIVATIVES

Inactivation of viruses in blood products requires that the method emp loyed display selectivity in its action for viral elements while not a ffecting the biological entity of interest. Several methods have been developed for the treatment of human plasma of products derived from h uman plasma. An effective technique for the treatment of the cellular components of blood has been lacking, in part due to the inability to develop agents capable of selectively targeting viral agents in the mi lieu of cellular material. In this paper, we examine the behavior of a group of viral sensitizers designed to be added to cellular samples a nd be activated upon exposure to UVA light. Upon activation, these age nts are capable of disrupting nucleic acids of the virus in a manner t hat renders them inactive for proliferation. The selectivity observed in this inactivation is determined by the chemical structure of the se nsitizer, which can be varied to increase viral killing capacity while diminishing collateral damage to cellular and protein constituents.