Accurate medical recordkeeping is a major challenge in many low-resource settings where well-maintained centralized databases do not exist, contributing to 1.5 million vaccine-preventable deaths annually. Here, we present an approach to encode medical history on a patient using the spatial distribution of biocompatible, near-infrared quantum dots (NIR QDs) in the dermis. QDs are invisible to the naked eye yet detectable when exposed to NIR light. QDs with a copper indium selenide core and aluminum-doped zinc sulfide shell were tuned to emit in the NIR spectrum by controlling stoichiometry and shelling time. The formulation showing the greatest resistance to photobleaching after simulated sunlight exposure (5-year equivalence) through pigmented human skin was encapsulated in microparticles for use in vivo. In parallel, microneedle geometry was optimized in silico and validated ex vivo using porcine and synthetic human skin. QD-containing microparticles were then embedded in dissolvable microneedles and administered to rats with or without a vaccine. Longitudinal in vivo imaging using a smartphone adapted to detect NIR light demonstrated that microneedle-delivered QD patterns remained bright and could be accurately identified using a machine learning algorithm 9 months after application. In addition, codelivery with inactivated poliovirus vaccine produced neutralizing antibody titers above the threshold considered protective. These findings suggest that intradermal QDs can be used to reliably encode information and can be delivered with a vaccine, which may be particularly valuable in the developing world and open up new avenues for decentralized data storage and biosensing.

The synthesis of new, highly functional and dynamic polymeric materials has risen dramatically since the introduction of click chemistry in 2001.

The dynamic covalent characteristics of oxime and boronate ester bonds have been explored. A small excess of a competing aldehyde under acidic conditions resulted in oxime polymer degradation from high molecular weights (30 kDa) to low molecular weight oligomers (2.2 kDa). The dynamic nature of oxime bonds imparts oxime cross-linked hydrogels with self-healing properties and the incorporation of phenyl boronic acid groups into the hydrogel network provides a platform for hydrogel functionalization. The addition of a polyphenol (tannic acid) proves a facile means to incorporate a second, dynamic covalent cross-linking network through boronate ester formation which, owing to the increase in the degree of cross-linking, is found to be nearly double the hydrogel strength (storage modulus increased from 4.6 to 8.5 kPa). Finally, the tannic acid cross-linking network is selectively degraded returning the hydrogel storage modulus to its initial value and providing a means for the synthesis of materials with tunable mechanical properties.

Sonochemically initiated RAFT polymerization (sonoRAFT) in organic solvents is presented for the first time. Acoustic cavitation, induced by high-frequency ultrasound (US) (490 kHz), caused pyrolysis of organic solvent molecules providing a source of initiating radicals. In this way, polymers could be prepared without conventional radical initiators (e.g., AIBN) or additives (e.g., piezoelectric nanoparticles). The polymerization of acrylates and acrylamides was well controlled with the prepared polymers displaying good agreement between theoretical and experimental molecular weights with low dispersities. Methacrylates were found to be less controlled. Several factors were found to influence the final monomer conversion (25–92%) and the upper limit of molecular weight (20–30 kDa) such as the monomer vapor pressure and solubility, solvent choice, and polymer type. No polymerization occurred in the absence of US demonstrating excellent temporal control, and the polymer products were found to possess high chain-end fidelity via chain extension and MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy.

We have discovered a novel class of nonsteroidal pyrazoline antagonists of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) that show excellent potency and selectivity against other nuclear receptors. Early analogues were poorly soluble and had a propensity to inhibit the hERG channel. Remarkably, both of these challenges were overcome by incorporation of a single carboxylate moiety. Structural modification of carboxylate-containing lead R-4g with a wide range of substituents at each position of the pyrazoline ring resulted in R-12o, which shows excellent activity against MR and reasonable pharmacokinetic profile. Introduction of conformational restriction led to a novel series characterized by exquisite potency and favorable steroid receptor selectivity and pharmacokinetic profile. Oral dosing of 3S,3aR-27d (PF-3882845) in the Dahl salt sensitive preclinical model of salt-induced hypertension and nephropathy showed blood pressure attenuation significantly greater than that with eplerenone, reduction in urinary albumin, and renal protection. As a result of these findings, 3S,3aR-27d was advanced to clinical studies.