Novel saccharide-peptide hybrid copolymers as siRNA delivery agents

CARB 85

Fiona L. Lin, lclin@uci.edu and Zhibin Guan, zguan@uci.edu. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697
The specific and potent gene silencing effects arising from RNA interference (RNAi) present tremendous potential as a new approach in gene therapy for disease treatment. While tremendous therapeutic potential of siRNA exists, the major determinant for its clinical use is the efficient delivery of siRNA into the target cells. Herein we describe our design of a novel class of saccharide-peptide hybrid copolymers to be used as non-viral, biocompatible and highly efficient siRNA transfection vectors. The central hypothesis of this study is that the combination of systematic structural tuning with strategic functionalization of an inherently safe saccharide-peptide construct will lead to a new class of safe and highly efficient siRNA delivery vectors. By using all natural components, the copolymers should be biocompatible, biodegradable, bioresorbable, and non-toxic.

 

General Posters
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Tuesday, August 21, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Division of Carbohydrate Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007