Development of degradable nanostructured biomaterials

目前的纳米技术，从高分子化学的研究，重点是开发具有生物应用潜力的多功能纳米器件。刺激响应降解已成为开发新型纳米材料的一种选择方法。两亲性嵌段共聚物（ABPs）是一类既包含亲水性嵌段又包含疏水性嵌段的聚合物，它可以通过自组装的方式构建纳米结构材料。 聚乳酸（PLA）及其共聚物具有生物相容性，FDA批准用于临床;然而，PLA基纳米材料成功生物应用的一个关键问题是改善包封生物分子的缓慢和不受控制的释放。 生物界面聚合物化学的研究计划侧重于开发具有各种结构和功能的先进PLA基可降解生物纳米材料。这些纳米材料将由定义明确的ABP制成，其中含有可裂解的PLA（cPLA）块，可响应外部刺激（低pH值，硫醇和光）进行裂解，以确保封装分子的快速，可控释放，从而提供智能递送的多功能性。我们的研究结果有望促进疏水性脂肪族聚酯向广泛的医药应用。此外，我们的研究计划将扩大到最初的范围之外，以解决生物界面上聚合物和材料科学其他领域的问题。

Current nanotechnology, drawing from research in polymer chemistry, has focused on the development of multifunctional nanoscale devices that have potential for biological application. Stimuli-responsive degradation has been a method of choice for the development of novel nanomaterials. Well-defined amphiphilic block copolymers (ABPs), comprising both hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks, have been used as building blocks to construct effective nanostructured materials through self-assembly. Polylactide (PLA) and its copolymers are biocompatible and FDA-approved for clinical use; however, one critical problem for successful biological applications of PLA-based nanomaterials is to improve the slow and uncontrolled release of encapsulated biomolecules. This research program in polymer chemistry at the biology interface focuses on the development of advanced PLA-based degradable bionanomaterials with various architectures and functionalities. These nanomaterials will be made of well-defined ABPs containing a cleavable PLA (cPLA) block that cleaves in response to external stimuli (low pH, thiols, and light) to ensure rapid, controllable release of encapsulated molecules, thus providing versatility in smart delivery. Our research results are expected to promote hydrophobic aliphatic polyesters toward widespread pharmaceutical application. Further, our research program will be expanded beyond the initial scope to address problems in other areas of polymer and materials science at the biology interface.