Adenoviral vectors coated with PAMAM dendrimer conjugates allow CAR independent virus uptake and targeting to the EGF receptor.

Adenovirus type 5 (Ad) is an efficient gene vector with high gene transduction potential, but its efficiency depends on its native cell receptors coxsackie- and adenovirus receptor (CAR) for cell attachment and α(v)β(3/5) integrins for internalization. To enable transduction of CAR negative cancer cell lines, we have coated the negatively charged Ad by noncovalent charge interaction with cationic PAMAM (polyamidoamine) dendrimers. The specificity for tumor cell infection was increased by targeting the coated Ad to the epidermal growth factor receptor using the peptide ligand GE11, which was coupled to the PAMAM dendrimer via a 2 kDa PEG spacer.

Towards mesostructured zinc imidazolate frameworks.

The transfer of supramolecular templating to the realm of metal-organic frameworks opens up new avenues to the design of novel hierarchically structured materials. We demonstrate the first synthesis of mesostructured zinc imidazolates in the presence of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which acts as a template giving rise to ordered lamellar hybrid materials. A high degree of order spanning the atomic and mesoscale was ascertained by powder X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, as well as solid-state NMR and IR spectroscopy.