The morphology of polymer nanomaterials critically influences their biological interactions contributing to the determination of their in vivo fate.[1] However, currently there is a lack of robust methods for preparing non-spherical particles from biocompatible materials. Here, we combine ‘living’ crystallisation-driven self-assembly (CDSA), a seeded growth method that enables the preparation of rod-like polymer nanoparticles of controlled length, with poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx), a polymer class that exhibits ‘stealth’ behaviour and excellent biocompatibility.[2,3] By selecting a thermoresponsive POx core-forming block, the ‘living’ CDSA process could be carried out for the first time in the complete absence of organic solvents, resulting in POx colloidal solutions of nanorods with lengths ranging from 50 to 600 nm. Furthermore, interesting temperature dependant rates of nanorod assembly and disassembly were observed in aqueous environments. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed low immune cell association and encouraging blood circulation times with little difference in the behaviour of POx nanorods of different lengths. The stealth behaviour observed highlights the potential of POx nanorods as a next generation stealth drug delivery platform.

Stealth polymer nanorods: Living crystallisation-driven self-assembly of poly(2-oxazoline)s in pure water

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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