US-France Cooperative Research: Nanoscopic Probing of Amphiphilic Polysaccharide Drug Carriers

最近生物技术、蛋白质组学和生物信息学的努力导致了由修饰的多肽和蛋白质组成的新的、有效的药物的合成。这些新型药物在控制和治愈各种疾病和疾病方面显示出巨大的希望。然而，由于这些药物的疏水性和对外部环境的敏感性，它们在体内的吸收存在重大问题。水包油乳剂给药已成为一种潜在的途径，因为最近的研究表明，使用乳剂进行体内给药可以显著增加吸收。此外，体内药物释放速率可以很容易地由几个乳剂参数中的一个来控制，而用传统方法进行类似的控制是非常困难的。可靠的药物浓度控制可以最大限度地减少与安全浓度水平的偏差，并减少一剂药物从体外进入人体的频率。在这项为期三年的美法合作研究项目中，伍斯特理工学院(WPI)的Terri A.Camesano、法国南希国家高等工业学院的Alain Durand和Michele Leonard，以及他们各自的学生将进行实验，旨在研究两亲性天然多聚酰胺的性质。WPI小组将表征多糖的构象，并使用原子力显微镜(AFM)和单分子力谱(SMFS)测量生物聚合物和表面之间的纳米级相互作用力。他们还将模拟被吸附的聚合物层和表面之间的相互作用。法医研究人员已经合成了疏水修饰的表面活性剂--葡聚糖、直链淀粉和普鲁兰衍生聚合物。这些表面活性剂可形成稳定的乳状液，并用作纳米颗粒的涂层。他们将测量法国合成的生物聚合物与表面之间的纳米级相互作用。他们的共同努力可能导致设计用于药物输送的改进的表面活性聚合物载体。该项目整合了国际层面的研究和教育。每年，三名美国本科生和一名研究生将与法国团队一起进行为期八周的研究。来自化学工程、生物医学工程、生物化学、生物学和生物技术的学生有资格参加该计划。该项目由国家科学基金会(NSF)和国家科学研究中心(CNRS)联合支持。NSF将资助美国调查人员和学生访问法国。CNRS将支付访问美国的费用。

0339097CamesanoRecent efforts in biotechnology, proteomics, and bioinformatics have resulted in the synthesis of new, potent drugs composed of modified peptides and proteins. These new classes of drugs have shown great promise towards controlling and curing a variety of illnesses and diseases. However, there are significant problems with in vivo absorption of these drugs due to their hydrophobicity and sensitivity towards the external environment. Drug delivery using oil-in-water emulsions has emerged as a potential route, as recent studies indicate that the use of emulsions for in vivo drug delivery resulted in dramatically increased absorption. Furthermore, the rate of in vivo drug release can be easily controlled by one of several emulsion parameters, while analogous control is exceedingly difficult with conventional methods. Reliable drug concentration control can minimize deviations from safe concentration levels, as well as reduce the frequency at which a dose of the drug is externally introduced into the body. In this three-year U.S.-France cooperative research project, Terri A. Camesano at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Alain Durand and Michele Leonard at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Industries Chimiques (ENSIC) in Nancy, France, and their respective students will perform experiments directed at studying properties of natural polyssacharides in the amphiphilic form. The WPI group will characterize conformation of polysaccharides and measure nanoscale interaction forces between biopolymers and surfaces using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). They will also model interactions between adsorbed polymer layers and surfaces. At ENSIC researchers have synthesized hydrophobically modified surfactants - dextran, amylose, and pullulan-derived polymers. These surfactants create stable emulsions and are used as coatings on nanoparticles. They will measure nanoscale interaction between the French synthesized biopolymers and the surfaces. Their combined efforts could lead to design of improved surfactant polymer vectors for use in drug delivery.The project integrates research and education at the international level. Each year, three U.S. undergraduates and a graduate student will conduct research with the French team over an eight-week period. Students from chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, biochemistry, biology and biotechnology are eligible to participate in the program. This project is jointly supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). NSF will fund the visits to France by the U.S. investigator and students. The CNRS will cover expenses for visits to the United States.