Welcome to the latest RSC Desktop Seminars, sponsored by Chemical Science, ChemComm and Chem Soc Rev. Each session will highlight two speakers, one journal board member and an early career researcher who has published in the journal.
Join Heather Maynard, Dr. Myung Ki Hong Professor in Polymer Science in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and Associate Editor of Chemical Science, and Athina Anastasaki, Assistant Professor in the Materials Department at ETH Zurich and Editorial Board member of Polymer Chemistry, to hear about their latest work.
This 90 minute seminar will allow researchers of all professional levels to connect and share ideas and questions.
"Polymers that mimic natural saccharides for applications in drug delivery"
Therapeutic proteins are challenging to transport and store, and thus the majority must be refrigerated or frozen. Proteins exposed to these conditions and others such as mechanical agitation often lose activity. This can be harmful or even fatal for patients that take the medications and can also increase costs because of the requirement of the cold chain. Thus, polymeric materials that are capable of stabilizing biomolecules at room temperature and to agitation are of significant interest. This talk will focus on polymeric materials to address this important problem. Well-defined polymers were synthesized by controlled radical polymerization and ring opening polymerizations. These were tested in their ability to stabilize proteins to room temperature, elevated temperatures, mechanical agitation, and pH changes when added as excipients. Side chains derived from Nature and others from known excipient classes were compared and contrasted, and the mechanisms of stabilization were investigated. Grafting to and grafting from synthetic strategies were utilized to prepare protein conjugates of these polymers, and in vivo testing showed that the polymers significantly increased blood circulation times (i.e. pharmacokinetics) in addition to retaining protein activity after exposure to high temperatures. Synthesis, stabilization properties and mechanisms, and application of the polymers to treat diabetes will be presented.
Prof. Dr. Athina Anastasaki
鈥淭ailoring Polymer Dispersity by Controlled Radical Polymerization鈥�
Dispersity (茐) can significantly affect polymer properties and is a key parameter in materials design. In this talk, methods to fully control polymer dispersity will be extensively discussed. In particular, two versatile radical polymerization approaches will be utilized in order to tailor molecular weight distributions for a wide range of monomer classes, including acrylates, acrylamides, methacrylates, and styrene. The possibility to maintain high livingness despite achieving high dispersities will also be presented.
10.05 鈥淧olymers that mimic natural saccharides for applications in drug delivery鈥� Professor Heather Maynard
10.55 鈥淭ailoring Polymer Dispersity by Controlled Radical Polymerization鈥漃rof. Dr. Athina Anastasaki
11.30 Closing remarks
Join Heather Maynard, Dr. Myung Ki Hong Professor in Polymer Science in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and Associate Editor of Chemical Science, and Athina Anastasaki, Assistant Professor in the Materials Department at ETH Zurich and Editorial Board member of Polymer Chemistry, to hear about their latest work.
This 90 minute seminar will allow researchers of all professional levels to connect and share ideas and questions.
Speakers
Professor Heather Maynard"Polymers that mimic natural saccharides for applications in drug delivery"
Therapeutic proteins are challenging to transport and store, and thus the majority must be refrigerated or frozen. Proteins exposed to these conditions and others such as mechanical agitation often lose activity. This can be harmful or even fatal for patients that take the medications and can also increase costs because of the requirement of the cold chain. Thus, polymeric materials that are capable of stabilizing biomolecules at room temperature and to agitation are of significant interest. This talk will focus on polymeric materials to address this important problem. Well-defined polymers were synthesized by controlled radical polymerization and ring opening polymerizations. These were tested in their ability to stabilize proteins to room temperature, elevated temperatures, mechanical agitation, and pH changes when added as excipients. Side chains derived from Nature and others from known excipient classes were compared and contrasted, and the mechanisms of stabilization were investigated. Grafting to and grafting from synthetic strategies were utilized to prepare protein conjugates of these polymers, and in vivo testing showed that the polymers significantly increased blood circulation times (i.e. pharmacokinetics) in addition to retaining protein activity after exposure to high temperatures. Synthesis, stabilization properties and mechanisms, and application of the polymers to treat diabetes will be presented.
Prof. Dr. Athina Anastasaki
鈥淭ailoring Polymer Dispersity by Controlled Radical Polymerization鈥�
Dispersity (茐) can significantly affect polymer properties and is a key parameter in materials design. In this talk, methods to fully control polymer dispersity will be extensively discussed. In particular, two versatile radical polymerization approaches will be utilized in order to tailor molecular weight distributions for a wide range of monomer classes, including acrylates, acrylamides, methacrylates, and styrene. The possibility to maintain high livingness despite achieving high dispersities will also be presented.
Programme (EDT)
10.00 Introduction10.05 鈥淧olymers that mimic natural saccharides for applications in drug delivery鈥� Professor Heather Maynard
10.55 鈥淭ailoring Polymer Dispersity by Controlled Radical Polymerization鈥漃rof. Dr. Athina Anastasaki
11.30 Closing remarks
