Many biopolymers have attained significant attention for biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility. PEGylated poly(aminoacids) (PEG-PAAs) have been shown to exhibit minimal toxicity and high hydrophilicity, which make them viable for biomedical purposes. Chemical characteristics of specific Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(amino acid) (PAA) copolymers make them suitable for drug delivery applications and gene therapeutics. The key focus of our research was the synthesis of amphiphilic ABC ter-copolymers based on PEG and PAA copolymers through ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxyanhydrides. The deprotection of ter-copolymers, utilizing protected polar amino acids (Glutamate and Lysine) in combination with a hydrophobic amino acid (Leucine), was achieved via basic hydrolysis in order to control their amphiphilic character. Self-assembly of these deprotected ABC ter-copolymers in aqueous medium may generate micro and nano scale aggregates for drug delivery. Cationic ABC ter-copolymers may also provide constructs for gene expression through DNA condensation.

Novel synthesis of ABC ter-copolymers for drug delivery and gene expression

247th National Meeting (2014)

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