Presentation day

Thursday  3:10 PM

 

TITLE

Amphiphilic Polycaprolactones for Micellar Delivery of Anticancer Drugs

 

Abstract

Libraries of biodegradable thermoresponsive polycaprolactones for drug delivery of
anticancer drugs were synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of various gamma-substitutedepsilon-
caprolactone monomers. The combination of biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunable
thermoresponsive behavior is ideal for drug delivery of anticancer drugs.
Amphiphilic thermoresponsive polycaprolactone block copolymers with tunable thermoresponsive behavior
were synthesized. The amphiphilic block copolymers self-assembled in water to form micelles with a
hydrophobic core that was employed to load and deliver hydrophobic anticancer drugs. The fine tuning of
the ratio between hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks provided polymers with tunable lower critical solution
temperatures (LCST) in the range of 37-55 °C. The functional groups of the hydrophobic block were varied
to adjust the size of micelles which allowed the tunability of drug loading capacity.