Topic details
| Topic | Polyelectrolyte polymer particles for delivery of pro-angiogenic growth factors to support vascularization of polymer scaffolds in bioapplications. |
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| Supervisor | Dana Kubies, PhD |
| Consultant | MSc. Ognen Pop-Georgievski, PhD. |
| Department | Chemistry and Physics of Surfaces and Biointerfaces |
| Description | In the field of tissue engineering, the vascularization of polymeric support scaffolds developed for tissue replacement is considered to be a key prerequisite for scaffold functionality in the recipient body. Unfortunately, a direct administration of free proteins promoting vascularization, i.e. growth factors (e.g., VEGF or FGF-2), used in clinical practice does not lead to the desired results. Therefore, the use of "polymeric carrier/growth factor" constructs to achieve the release of pro-angiogenic proteins at the site of implantation is being intensively studied. Examples of such delivery systems are nano- and microparticles releasing therapeutic components, which are intensively studied especially for the delivery of low-molecular-weight drugs. The project aims to develop a methodology for the preparation of polyelectrolyte nano- and microparticles consisting of polycations based on block copolymers of poly(dimethylaminoethyl acrylate) (PDMAEA) with unstable charge and heparin, which release the proteins, without the use of cryoprotectants and stabilizers. The gradual change in charge on PDMAEA allows for the controlled particle decomposition and thus controlled release of pro-angiogenic growth factors encapsulated in the particles. The doctoral studies will include: 1. Study of the synthesis of PDMAEA and its block copolymers with neutral hydrophilic blocks using RAFT polymerization, with the aim to obtain the polycations with different charge content and different content of neutral blocks creating hydrophilic corona of the resulting particles. 2. Study of the dynamics of particle formation depending on the copolymer composition using dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements, characterization of physicochemical properties using IR spectroscopy and XPS, and morphology characterization using transmission electron microscopy. 3. Study of the dependence of the amount of protein encapsulated into particles and protein release on the composition of block copolymers using the ELISA method. 4. Evaluation of the particle cytocompatibility and bioactivity of released proteins in cooperation with biologists. The interdisciplinary topic focuses on polymer chemistry and biomedical applications and is suitable for graduates of chemical disciplines such as macromolecular chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry, etc. |
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