In the field of nanomedicine, research efforts are directed towards improving treatment efficacies and reducing side effects. New nanoparticles (NPs) are developed as nanocarriers that provide spatiotemporal control over the delivery of therapeutics. Polymer NPs in particular are highly modular in nature, and the ability to functionalize their surfaces is key to attaining prolonged blood circulation times and achieving targeted delivery of therapeutics to the tissue of interest. The size of NPs has been shown to be critical to their biodistribution behavior. Although nanoparticles of 50 to 200 nm in diameter are commonly used, smaller NPs have a much higher surface to volume ratio and increased curvature, leading to enhanced cellular uptake. Polymer NPs in the sub-20 nm range are difficult to obtain, though intramolecular crosslinking of polymer chains provides single-chain polymer nanoparticles (SCNPs) in the range of 5 to 20 nm, in a facile and scalable manner. Size and dispersity of SCNPs are uniquely dependent on the precursor polymers, which are readily obtained by utilizing controlled polymerization techniques. SCNPs are a promising nanocarrier platform in the field of biomedical applications due to their unique size range, high modularity and ease of functionalization. Pentafluorophenyl-functional (PFP) SCNPs are synthesized via thiol-Michael addition and display the ability for a variety of highly controlled surface functionalizations. While the resulting particles display altered surface properties, particle characteristics such as size remain constant. This enables systematic investigations of SCNP targeting on the cellular level, as well as further customization of SCNPs for controlled drug delivery. In this work, we focus on the targeting of SCNPs in relation to their surface functionalization and highlight the influence of surface charges and ligand density.

Single-chain polymer nanoparticles with highly controlled surface functionalization facilitate targeted drug delivery

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.