Polycarbodiimides are semi-rigid helical polymers with highly tunable properties. This class of polymer system allows the integration of terminal alkyne functional side chains to quickly synthesize a library of polymer derivatives. The facile conjugation of functional groups to the polymer backbone upon postmodification can yield a diverse panel of water-soluble, amphiphilic polymers.<br/>We are developing polycarbodiimides as research tools for biomedical applications. Our molecular imaging probes based on these polymer-conjugates are potentially ideal for cancer research due to their potential for use in multi-modal, multimeric targeting, and imaging moieties. This class of materials is completely new to the biomedical sciences. In vivo, the polymers allow for the alteration of biodistribution and pharmacokinetics by taking advantage of the modularity of the polymer system through microstructure optimization. For imaging and sensing applications, polycarbodiimides can be developed to undergo supramolecular self-assembly with single-walled carbon nanotubes driven by π-π interactions between the graphitic carbon nanotube surface and the phenyl side groups on the polymers to result in water soluble photoluminescent nanoscale optical probes. Such probes were used to target specific sub-cellular compartments including the nucleus. Nanotube surface chemistry derivatization with polymers plays a critical role in the stability, interactions with biological systems, and the modulation of carbon nanotube photoluminescence, providing opportunities to develop molecular probes, imaging agents, and optical biosensors with specificity to desired bioanalytes. Thus, polycarbodiimides are emerging class of polymer materials for a wide range of biomedical applications.

Helical polycarbodiimides for biomedical applications

254th National Meeting (2017)

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