Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Addressing The Issues Of Drug Delivery Via Advanced Macromolecular Design, Brooks Allen Abel

Dissertations

The work described in this dissertation focuses on the development of synthetic approaches toward novel polymer architectures that specifically address the issues of in vivo drug delivery. Successful implementation of the synthetic methodologies described herein required fundamental investigations into the underlying chemistries in ways that now provide greater insights into the nature of the these chemical reactions.

In Section I, the synthesis of tunable pH- and CO₂-responsive sulfonamide-containing polymers using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is described. Initially, poor polymerization control of methacryloyl sulfonamide (MSA) monomers was observed using traditional RAFT polymerization conditions. Ultimately, reducing the polymerization …

Tuning Responsiveness Of Polypeptide Based Block Copolymers For Drug Delivery, Ashley J. Johnson

Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to tune the pH response and self-assembled morphologies of amphiphilic polypeptide block copolymers for use as drug delivery vehicles. Poly(L-lysine) and poly(L-glutamtic acid) are responsive, ionizable polypeptides that undergo secondary structure transitions, from α-helix to random coil, whereby the change in conformation of the peptide chain results in changes to the global morphology of a self-assembled system. The main focus of this work was to understand how changes in the polymer composition and the local environment can lead to control over the behavior of the overall system. First, the responsive behavior of poly(L-lysine) block …