Hybrid Hydrogels with Swelling Transitions Modulated by Protein Domains

这个项目的目标是通过交联具有良好特征的蛋白质结构域的合成水溶性聚合物来制造反应性水凝胶。这些水凝胶将是独特的，因为它们的环境响应性将由蛋白质交联决定或调节，这可能赋予水凝胶的特性，特别有用的控制药物输送应用。该项目可能会导致一类对环境刺激具有新反应的新型水凝胶；这些反应可以通过分子遗传学来调整交联结构。在药物递送领域，titin交联水凝胶的最大影响可能是它们作为脉冲释放药物载体的潜力。虽然目前大多数脉冲药物递送方法需要外部信号来触发药物释放，但由于水凝胶固有的化学和物理性质，具有阶梯式膨胀转变的水凝胶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. ***