REU Site: Polymeric Nanostructures for Delivering Drugs and Imaging Agents

技术概述：分子生物学已经产生了大量具有治疗疾病和纠正遗传缺陷潜力的治疗分子，前提是传递和释放问题能够得到解决。此外，聚合物与显像剂的络合物有可能解开结构与图像的关系，这可能使足够的对比能够非侵入性地监测共包裹药物的生物分布。这个REU将专注于合成用于输送药物和显像剂的定义明确的聚合物，表征聚合物药物显像剂的组装、结构和性能的工程，以及定义结构、释放速率和机制以及图像灵敏度和对比度之间关系的物理科学。这个由美国国家科学基金会材料研究部资助的REU将为8名本科生提供为期11周的高分子药物和显像剂复合体研究的机会。该项目旨在通过研究的乐趣向学生灌输创造新材料和发现物理现象的终身动机。重点将放在科学和工程上，并特别强调建立领导力、跨学科的团队合作和沟通技能，并体验将其科学融入社区所带来的满足感。特别关注的将是技术写作。该计划包括为研究生导师举办的领导力研讨会、带有伦理研讨会的社区建设务虚会、关于医学和生物学中的聚合物材料原理的短期课程、沟通研讨会以及通过在我们的青年体验科学(YES)计划中指导K-12学生发展REU领导力技能。我们的REU中至少有50%将是女性或少数族裔，以确保她们学习与多元化群体合作，为职业生涯做好准备。在接下来的一年里，学生们将有机会在一次会议上展示他们的发现。非技术总结：在过去的大约20年里，生物学家和化学家发现了无数的药物，包括小分子和更大的治疗性蛋白质和核酸(即DNA/RNA)。需要聚合物材料来与许多这样的新药形成络合物，以改善它们在体内必要部位的输送。这种复合体有可能提供长时间的持续控制释放，由于所需剂量较低，毒性较低，并防止通过酶或免疫系统等生理成分的攻击而降解。因此，REU将专注于制备用于输送药物和显像剂的明确的聚合物，将它们组装成与药物所需的络合物的方法，以及在输送新的生物显像剂的情况下确定其结构、释放速率和图像敏感性之间关系的物理原理的研究。该项目由美国国家科学基金会材料研究部资助，将为8名本科生提供为期11周的药物和显像剂复合体研究机会。该项目旨在通过研究的乐趣向学生灌输创造新材料和发现物理现象的终身动机。Focus还将强调领导力原则，建立跨学科团队合作和沟通技能，包括技术写作，并通过在我们的青年体验科学(YES)计划中指导K-12学生，学习将他们的科学融入社区。我们的REU中至少有50%将是女性或少数族裔，以确保她们学习与多元化群体合作，为职业生涯做好准备。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Molecular biology has yielded a wealth of therapeutic molecules with potential to treat diseases and correct genetic defects, provided delivery and release issues can be resolved. Moreover, complexes of polymers with imaging agents have potential for unraveling structure-image relationships that may enable sufficient contrast to non-invasively monitor biodistribution of co-encapsulated drugs. This REU will focus on SYNTHESIS of well-defined polymers for delivering drugs and imaging agents, the ENGINEERING that characterizes assembly, structure and properties of polymer-drug-imaging agents, and the PHYSICAL SCIENCE that defines relationships among structure, release rates and mechanisms, and image sensitivity and contrast. This REU, funded by the Division of Materials Research of the NSF, will provide opportunities for 8 undergraduates to conduct 11 weeks of research on macromolecular drug and imaging agent complexes. The program is designed to instill in students a life-long motivation to create new materials and discover physical phenomena through the joys of research. Focus will be on science and engineering with added emphasis on building leadership, interdisciplinary teamwork and communications skills, and experiencing the gratification derived from integrating their science into the community. Particular focus will be on technical writing. The program includes a leadership workshop for the graduate student mentors, a community-building retreat with an ethics workshop, a short course on Principles of Polymeric Materials in Medicine and Biology, communications seminars and development of REU leadership skills through mentoring K-12 students in our Youth Experiencing Science (YES) program. At least 50% of our REUs will be women or minorities to ensure that they learn to work with a diverse group to prepare them for professional careers. The students will have opportunities to present their findings at a conference during the follow-up year.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Over the past about two decades, biologists and chemists have discovered a myriad of drugs that include small molecules and also larger therapeutic proteins and nucleic acids (i.e., DNA/RNA). Polymeric materials are needed to form complexes with many of these new drugs to improve their delivery to the necessary sites in the body. Such complexes can potentially offer sustained controlled release over long times, lower toxicities due to lower doses required, and protection against degradation through attack by physiological components such as enzymes or the immune system. Thus, this REU will focus on preparing well-defined polymers for delivering drugs and imaging agents, methods to assemble them into the required complexes with the drugs, and investigations of the physical principles that define relationships among their structure, release rates, and image sensitivity in the cases of delivering new bioimaging agents. The program, funded by the Division of Materials Research of the NSF, will provide opportunities for 8 undergraduates to conduct 11 weeks of research on drug and imaging agent complexes. The program is designed to instill in students a life-long motivation to create new materials and discover physical phenomena through the joys of research. Focus will also emphasize leadership principles, building interdisciplinary teamwork and communications skills that include technical writing, and learning to integrate their science into the community through mentoring K-12 students in our Youth Experiencing Science (YES) program. At least 50% of our REUs will be women or minorities to ensure that they learn to work with a diverse group to prepare them for professional careers.