To combine the advantages from both natural and synthetic systems, namely, the biocompatibility and biodegradability from natural components and the versatility from synthetic chemistry, we are exploring new strategies to design novel biomaterials from natural building blocks.  In one design, using the most abundant natural monomers such as saccharides and amino acids, we have developed a family of saccharide-peptide hybrid copolymers that are biodegradable, non-toxic, non-immunogenic, and highly functional. The combination of synthetic versatility, rich functionality, and inherent safe features makes this class of new biomaterials potentially useful for many biomedical applications. Currently, we are pursuing two directions of biomedical studies with our new biomaterials: developing nanogel-based vectors for siRNA delivery and designing hydrogels for 3D cell culture and tissue engineering. In this presentation, I will discuss about our general design strategy, synthesis, and the applications of our biomaterials for both siRNA and tissue engineering.

Saccharide-peptide hybrid copolymers as a new family of biomaterials for siRNA delivery and tissue engineering applications

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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