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，其组装成混合水凝胶将通过卷曲螺旋肽结构域的缔合来调节。将N-（2-羟丙基）甲基丙烯酰胺（HPMA）与含卷曲螺旋结构的大分子单体共聚，合成了含卷曲螺旋结构的HPMA共聚物。卷曲螺旋移植物的设计在自组装过程中施加了反平行的异源二聚体形成。我们假设，异二聚体的反平行取向将有助于自组装的混合水凝胶的均匀性，由于独特的链间二聚体的形成和减少的空间位阻的聚合物主链上的“登记册”对齐的异二聚体。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，以协助合理设计的混合水凝胶。实验结果将使用该模型进行分析，为优化接枝共聚物结构和自组装成杂化水凝胶提供反馈。 HPMA接枝共聚物的自组装封装分子的存在下，将进行评估，试图开发新的原位形成的杂化水凝胶的蛋白质的交付。由于自组装发生在水性介质中，因此递送系统适用于各种生物分子。这种新型水凝胶可能在药物输送、生物传感器、亲和分离和纳米反应器等方面有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模拟物，可能会开辟一个新的研究领域。

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.