Poly(ethylene glycol) containing nanostructures with medical imaging applications

POLY 125

Benjamin W. Messmore1, Ken-ichi Fukukawa2, Eric D Pressly2, and Craig J. Hawker3. (1) Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5121, (2) Materials Research Laboratory, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5121, (3) Materials Research Laboratory, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Nanomaterials have great potential to contribute to the field of biology and medicine. The fine tuning of shape, size, and function of nanoscale materials could enable properties that cannot be accessed using traditional small molecule approaches, including ensemble effects, targeting, and biostability. Polymeric systems, specifically polymers containing ethylene glycol blocks, have received significant attention in biological applications due to water solubility, biocompatibility, and resistance to non-specific protein binding. A second advantage to utilizing polymeric systems is the relative ease of macromolecular synthesis through well controlled polymerization conditions, orthogonal post-modification chemistry, and self-assembly. A step in the development of biomedical polymeric materials is the incorporation of functional groups relevant to medical applications, including near-infrared dyes, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging agents, and positron emission tomography (PET) agents. Herein we describe several functional poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) containing star and comb architectures with medical imaging applications achieved through the modification of polymers synthesized by reversible addition fragmentation transfer (RAFT) and nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) procedures.
 

General Papers: Polymers in Nanotechnology
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Sunday, 10 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006