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Abstract

Method for inactivating non-enveloped viruses using a viricide-potentiating agent. In a preferred embodiment, the method may be used to inactivate non-enveloped viruses present within a sample of whole blood or a blood product and comprises (a) adding to the blood sample a photoactivatable viricide, such as a psoralen, hypericin, methylene blue, toluidine blue or the like, which, when activated, is effective in inactivating enveloped viruses; (b) adding to the blood sample a viricide-potentiating chemical agent that increases the sensitivity of non-enveloped viruses to the activated viricide; and (c) activating the photoactivatable viricide. Preferably, the viricide-potentiating chemical agent includes a first moiety which possesses an affinity for a component of the non-enveloped virus and a second moiety which includes a lipid tail, the first and second moieties being structurally interrelated so that, when the first moiety becomes associated with a component of the non-enveloped virus, the second moiety penetrates or at least partially surrounds the viral capsid of the non-enveloped virus. Examples of the chemical agent include cationic lipopolyamines, such as dioctadecylamidoglycylspermine.

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First Claim