Nature’s polymers, such as polysaccharides and proteins show a remarkable versatility as multifunctional materials for a variety of applications. They can be easily modified with the toolkit of bioorganic chemistry and are particularly attractive because of their degradability and biocompatibility.<br/>We present a chemical modified polysaccharide (acetal-modified dextran) that can be formulated into nano- und microparticles using a variety of common emulsion-based techniques (Figure A). It is possible to transport proteins, DNA and RNA, as well as small hydrophobic drugs. Ac-DEX particles can release their encapsulated payload under mild acidic conditions including those found in sites of inflammation, tumor tissue, or endocytic vesicles. In addition, the degradation rate can be easily tuned within the time scale of relevant cellular processes. The low-toxicity and payload versatility makes Ac-DEX particles an ideal platform for a wide range of biotherapeutic delivery applications including immunotherapy and gene delivery.<br/>We also present a universal approach for the preparation of a new class of protein-based nanoparticles (Figure B) for the delivery of therapeutic payloads. The lipophilic surface modification of proteins allows the use of solvent evaporation techniques for the formation of nanoparticles. Unlike previous approaches, we preserve the native structure of the proteins and our particles are stable without denaturation or crosslinking of the biopolymers. The material shows low toxicity at high concentrations and successfully delivers drugs, for example chemotherapeutics to cancer cells.

Biopolymer-based nanoparticles for applications in drug delivery and immunotherapy

254th National Meeting (2017)

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