Synthesis of Nanogel-Protein Conjugates.

The covalent conjugation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to disulfide cross-linked polymeric nanogels is reported. Polymeric nanogel precursors were synthesized via a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) random copolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) and pyridyl disulfide methacrylate (PDSMA). Reaction of the p(PEGMA--PDSMA) with dithiothreitol resulted in the formation of nanogels.

Dual Stimuli - Dual Response Nanoassemblies Prepared from a Simple Homopolymer.

A dual stimuli responsive nanogel-polyelectrolyte complex based on electrostatic coating has been developed. The nanoassembly is designed to elicit two disparate responses ( surface property change and guest encapsulation stability) from two different stimuli ( pH and redox variations). The components of the nanogel and the polyelectrolyte have been conveniently achieved from a simple homopolymer, poly(pentafluorophenylacrylate).

Concurrent binding and delivery of proteins and lipophilic small molecules using polymeric nanogels.

Supramolecular nanoassemblies, which are capable of binding and delivering either lipophilic small molecules or hydrophilic molecules, are of great interest. Concurrently binding and delivering this combination of molecules is cumbersome, because of the opposing supramolecular host requirements. We describe the development of a versatile nanoassembly system that is capable of binding and delivering both, a protein and a lipophilic small molecule, simultaneously inside the cells.

Polymer nanogels: a versatile nanoscopic drug delivery platform.

In this review we put the spotlight on crosslinked polymer nanogels, a promising platform that has the characteristics of an "ideal" drug delivery vehicle. Some of the key aspects of drug delivery vehicle design like stability, response to biologically relevant stimuli, passive targeting, active targeting, toxicity and ease of synthesis are discussed. We discuss several delivery systems in this light and highlight some examples of systems, which satisfy some or all of these design requirements.

Self-cross-linked polymer nanogels: a versatile nanoscopic drug delivery platform.

Nanoscopic vehicles that stably encapsulate drug molecules and release them in response to a specific trigger are of great interest due to implications in therapeutic applications, especially for cancer therapy. For this purpose, we have synthesized highly stable polymeric nanogels, in which the kinetics of guest molecule release can be fine-tuned by control over cross-linking density. The polymer nanogel precursor is based on a random copolymer that contains oligoethyleneglycol (OEG) and pyridyldisulfide (PDS) units as side-chain functionalities.

Surface-functionalizable polymer nanogels with facile hydrophobic guest encapsulation capabilities.

The stability of encapsulation in self-assembly systems is limited during blood circulation because of a requisite concentration for assembly formation. For deliberate molecular design for stable encapsulation, targeting, and triggered release, we have developed a facile synthetic method for highly stable, polymeric nanogels using a simple intra/interchain cross-linking reaction. We show a simple, emulsion-free method for the preparation of biocompatible nanogels that provides the ability to encapsulate hydrophobic guest molecules and surface functionalization which has potential for targeted delivery.