Hybrid Hydrogels with Swelling Transitions Modulated by Protein Domains

9807287斯图尔特这个项目的目标是通过将合成的水溶性聚合物与具有良好特征的蛋白质结构域进行交联来创建响应性水凝胶。这些水凝胶将是独一无二的，因为它们的环境响应性将由蛋白质交联物决定或调节，这可能使水凝胶的性质对受控药物输送应用特别有用。该项目可能导致一类新的水凝胶，具有对环境刺激的新颖反应；这种反应可以利用分子遗传学来微调，以调整交联键结构。在药物输送领域，Titin交联水凝胶最大的影响可能是它们作为脉冲释放药物载体的潜力。目前的大多数脉冲给药方法需要外部信号来触发药物释放，而具有阶梯状溶胀转变的水凝胶由于其固有的化学和物理性质，将导致药物释放的周期性上升和下降。***

9807287 Stewart The objective of this project is to create responsive hydrogels by crosslinking synthetic water-soluble polymers with well-characterized protein domains. These hydrogels will be unique because their environmental responsiveness will be determined or modulated by the protein crosslinks, which may give the hydrogels properties particularly useful for controlled drug delivery applications. This project could lead to a new class of hydrogels with novel responses to environmental stimuli; responses that can be fine-tuned using molecular genetics to adjust the crosslink structure. In the area of drug delivery, the greatest impact of titin-crosslinked hydrogels may be their potential as pulsed-release drug carriers. Whereas most current approaches for pulsed drug delivery require an external signal to trigger drug release, a hydrogel with a stepped swelling transition would result in a periodic rise and fall of drug release as a result of the intrinsic chemical and physical properties of the hydrogel. ***