Carriers that disassemble upon exposure to an externally controlled stimulus would allow biologists and clinicians a means of noninvasive control over where and when drugs or other biologically active agents are delivered.  An especially appealing stimulus is near infrared (NIR) light because it allows high spatial and temporal precision and can penetrate tissue up to 10 cm without causing DNA damage.  We have previously designed a proof-of-concept polymer that could disassemble upon irradiation with NIR, which incorporated an o-nitrobenzyl (ONB) triggering group attached to the polymer backbone via a diamine linker. However, its low two-photon uncaging cross section meant that triggering disassembly required hours of irradiation.  To create a polymer with sensitivity to biologically benign levels (200 mW) of NIR, we replaced the ONB group with 4-bromo7-hydroxycoumarin (Bhc), which has a much higher two-photon uncaging cross-section.

Bromo-hydroxycoumarin-containing polymer disassembles upon irradiation with low power NIR

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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