Projects per year
Abstract
Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is an easily applied synthetic technique for the preparation of polymer nanoparticles with various shapes and at high concentrations. Although PISA has been applied to prepare nanoparticles for a variety of different applications, to date there have been no attempts to employ nanoparticles prepared via PISA as a novel platform from which to prepare positive contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To this end, here we report an efficient synthesis of surface-functional polymer-based nanoparticles with tunable size and morphology (micelles, filomicelles and vesicles) via PISA, their post-synthetic functionalisation and an initial investigation into their use as a positive MRI contrast agent. A short functional block of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) was prepared using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and this was chain extended with oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate to create a novel macromolecular chain transfer agent for PISA. A library of surface-functional self-assembled nanoparticles with different shapes was then synthesized, and the versatility of the glycidyl methacrylate units for post-synthetic surface functionalization was demonstrated by ring opening the epoxide with a primary thiol, a primary amine and sodium azide. The resulting azide functional materials could be further modified via copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The epoxide groups were also exploited to conjugate Gd-DOTA to the polymeric nanoparticles and the application of the diverse polymeric nanoparticles for T1-weighted MRI was investigated, with the filomicelle emerging as a promising candidate due to both a good gadolinium-labelling efficiency and a high T1 relaxivity. Given that filomicelles typically exhibit enhanced blood circulation times, the gadolinium-labelled filomicelles could have potential applications as a blood pool agent for magnetic resonance angiography, and in cancer diagnostics/theranostics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 7325-7337 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Polymer Chemistry |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 47 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Dec 2016 |
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Macromolecular design for bio-imaging and targeted delivery
Davis, T. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
Australian Research Council (ARC), Monash University
1/07/14 → 31/12/19
Project: Research
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ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology
Davis, T. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Boyd, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bunnett, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Porter, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Caruso, F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kent, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Thordarson, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kearnes, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Gooding, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kavallaris, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Thurecht, K. J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Whittaker, A. K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Parton, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Corrie, S. R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Johnston, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), McGhee, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Greguric, I. D. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Stevens, M. M. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Lewis, J. S. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Lee, D. S. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Alexander, C. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Dawson, K. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Hawker, C. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Haddleton, D. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Thierry, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Prestidge, C. A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Meyer, A. (Project Manager), Jones-Jayasinghe, N. (Project Manager), Voelcker, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Nann, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & McLean, K. (Partner Investigator (PI))
Australian Research Council (ARC), Monash University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Queensland , University of South Australia, Monash University – Internal Faculty Contribution, University of Wisconsin Madison, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of California System, University College Dublin, Imperial College London, University of Warwick, Sungkyunkwan University, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) , University of Nottingham
30/06/14 → 29/06/21
Project: Research