HYBRID HYDROGELS SELF-ASSEMBLED FROM GRAFT COPOLYMERS

描述(由申请人提供)： 该项目的目标是设计新的大分子结构，其组装成杂化水凝胶的过程将受到卷曲多肽结构域的调节。以卷曲结构域为侧链的N-(2-羟丙基)丙烯酰胺(HPMA)与含有卷曲结构域的大分子单体共聚，合成了N-(2-羟丙基)甲基丙烯酰胺(HPMA)共聚物。螺旋接枝的设计要求在自组装过程中形成反平行的异二聚体。我们推测，杂化二聚体的反平行取向有助于自组装杂化水凝胶的均一，这是因为杂化二聚体形成独特的链间二聚体，并且减少了聚合物主链对杂化二聚体“注册”排列的空间位阻。这项拟议的研究将产生在纳米范围内具有定制结构的材料。 将开发一个理论模型来辅助杂化水凝胶的合理设计。实验结果将利用该模型进行分析，为优化接枝共聚物结构和自组装成杂化水凝胶提供反馈。 将对HPMA接枝共聚物在包裹分子存在下的自组装进行评估，以尝试开发用于传递蛋白质的新型原位形成杂化水凝胶。由于自组装发生在水介质中，因此该传递系统适用于多种生物分子。这种新型水凝胶可能会在药物输送、生物传感器、亲和分离和纳米反应器中获得广泛的生物医学应用。此外，加入不相容材料的可能性，例如来自液晶聚合物和水凝胶的疏水性肌肉仿制品，可能会打开一个新的研究领域。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the project is to design new macromolecular structures, whose assembly into hybrid hydrogels will be modulated by association of coiled-coil peptide domains. N-(2-hydroxypropyl)rnethacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers containing coiled-coil domains as side-chains (grafts) will be synthesized by copolymerization of HPMA with macromonomers containing coiled-coils. The design of coiled-coil grafts imposes an antiparallel heterodimer formation in the self-assembly process. We hypothesize that the antiparallel orientation of heterodimers will contribute to the homogeneity of the self-assembled hybrid hydrogels due to the unique interchain dimer formation and decreased steric hindrance of the polymer backbone on the "in-register" alignment of heterodimers. Materials with tailor-made structures at the nanometer range will result from the proposed research. A theoretical model will be developed to assist in a rational design of the hybrid hydrogels. Experimental results will be analyzed using the model to provide feedback for the optimization of graft copolymer structure and of the self-assembly into hybrid hydrogels. The self-assembly of HPMA graft copolymers in the presence of encapsulated molecules will be evaluated in an attempt to develop new in-situ forming hybrid hydrogels for the delivery of proteins. The delivery system is suitable for a wide variety of biological molecules since the self-assembly occurs in aqueous media. The new hydrogels may find wide-ranging biomedical applications in drug delivery, biosensors, affinity separations, and nanoreactors. In addition, the possibility to join non-compatible materials, such as hydrophobic muscle mimics from liquid crystalline polymers and hydrogels, may open a new field of research.