| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/R20137/01 |
| Title: |
The Influence of Polymer Architecture On Polymer Self Assembly - Opportunities For a New Drug Delivery Systems |
| Principal Investigator: |
Uchegbu, Professor I |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Inst of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sci |
| Organisation: |
University of Strathclyde |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
05 June 2001 |
Ends: |
04 September 2003 |
Value (£): |
156,751
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Biological & Medicinal Chem. |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Chemicals |
Food and Drink |
| Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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The linear polymers poly-L-lysine, poly-L-ornithine, glycol chitosan and chitosan have been made amphiphilic by the attachment of hydrophobic and in some cases additional hydrophillc pendant groups. Such polymeric amphiphiles of defined polymer architecture assemble into unilamellar vesicles. Vesicular self-assembly, vesicle size and drug loading can all be controlled by controlling polymer architecture. The current proposal deals with branched polymers using the pharmaceutically relevant gene delivery polymer -polyethylenimine, which is available in both branched and linear formats, as a model: We have already established that amphiphilic branched palmitoyl PEI assembles into stable unilamellar vesicles with a reduced cytotoxicity but the same gene transfer activity as the unmodified soluble branched polymer. The attachment of methoxypolyethylene glycol to branched palmitoyl PEI results however in tubular assemblies while quatemary ammonium palmitoyl branched PEI yields as yet unidentified self assemblies of- 100nm. A series of amphiphilic polyethylenimine polymers from the branched and linear material will be synthesised, characterised and their self-assembly studied. In this way the influence of variables such as hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, charge, molecular weight and branching on the resulting self assemblies will be evaluated, leading to the fabrication of stable systems which may be exploited for drug and gene delivery.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.strath.ac.uk |