Amphiphilic block copolymers can be made to assemble into robust morphologies that carry a wide range of drugs and allow in vivo tests of various carrier properties. We will describe polymersome delivery of multiple chemotherapeutics  and RNAi using degradable PEG-polyester diblock systems in  disease contexts. Therapeutic efficacy and transformation in degradation motivated a detailed examination of cylindrical 'filomicelles' in both imaging and delivery. Flexible filaments prove interesting indeed:  they circulate a surprisingly long time and open the dosage window for more effective tumor shrinkage than seems possible with spheres of the same composition.  Motivated by the benefits of persistent circulation, we will also outline efforts to design, develop and apply a 'Marker of Self' peptide that extends circulation by making immune cells, specifically macrophages, perceive nanoparticles as self rather than foreign.  REFERENCES: (1). Y-H Kim et al. J Cont Release (2009). (2) Y. Geng et al. Nature Nanotech (2007). (3) R. Tsai & D.E. Discher J Cell Biol (2008).

From self-assembly to self-recognition: Block copolymer colloids of diverse shape and active passivation of immune clearance

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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