Responsive Polymers at the Biology/Materials Science Interface

Abstract

Synthetic polymers can be prepared with features that combine many of the advantageous properties of natural materials, including environmental response. This Research News article considers the different types of response that can be ‘programmed in' to polymers and the applications that are developing as a consequence of the designed responses. In particular, we focus on two key applications at the biology/materials science interface: responsive drug delivery systems and ‘smart' surfaces for cell culture and regenerative medicine.

Multiphoton fabrication of chemically responsive protein hydrogels for microactuation

“…Previous approaches for creating responsive hydrogels with desired swelling characteristics have been based on laborious rational design of gel precursors (5,6). In contrast, proteins represent a naturally diverse set of building blocks for engineering hydrogel responsivity.…”

“…T he design of materials and devices that rely on the autonomous transduction of environmental signals is an area of intense interest in materials science and molecular engineering (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Development of strategies that allow free-form fabrication of ''smart'' materials with three-dimensional (3D) micro-to nanoscale resolution will extend the utility of these materials across a broader range of applications.…”

Encapsulation and release ofα-chymotrypsin from poly(glycerol adipate-co-ω-pentadecalactone) microparticles

“…Amongst the commonly used polymers for colloidal drug delivery approved for human use are poly(lactic acid) (Guiziou et al, 1996), poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) (Aguiar et al, 2004;Bilati et al, 2005) and poly(-caprolactone) (Kim et al, 2005;Le Ray et al, 2003). There is also a growing list of novel synthetic biodegradable polymers that are being investigated for their potential in drug delivery systems, including polycarbonates, polyanhydrides, polymalic acid, polyphosphazenes, polyaminoacids (Davis et al, 1996), polyesters (Breitenbach et al, 2000;De Jesús et al, 2002) and poly-N-isopropylacrylamide and other responsive polymers (Alexander and Shakesheff, 2006).…”

pH-Responsive Chiral Nanostructures

“…(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10) Of particular interest is the development of responsive or smart materials that respond (for example through a change in solubility) to external stimuli. (11)(12)(13) There are a number of stimuli which can be used to afford a change in polymer properties including most commonly temperature, light, oxidation and pH. (14-18) A wide range of new polymers have been prepared and explored as responsive materials with particular interest in the development of block copolymers which display dual responsive properties.…”