Design of thermosensitive dendrimers with both LCST/UCST functions

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K06004
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Polymer/Textile materials
• Research Institution: Osaka Prefecture University
• Principal Investigator: Kojima Chie 大阪府立大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (50405346)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: デンドリマー / 温度応答性 / ｐH応答性 / T細胞 / ドラッグデリバリー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Temperature-responsive polymers are classified into LCST type which becomes turbid upon heating and UCST type which dissolves upon heating, which have used as intelligent materials in various fields. In this study, we found that carboxy-terminal dendrimers containing phenylalanine (Phe), a hydrophobic amino acid, exhibited a unique property that allows them to switch between LCST-type and UCST-type properties depending on pH. These dendrimers after the intradermal injection were useful for delivery into in lymph node-resident various immune cells, including T cells which had been difficult to deliver.

Free Research Field

高分子材料化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

LCST型とUCST型の性質をpHによってスイッチングできる温度応答性材料はこれまでにない。本研究で作製したデンドリマーは、新たなインテリジェントマテリアルとして様々な分野での応用が期待される。また、Ｔ細胞内部へのデリバリーは、現在のところ、抗体を付与したウィルスでしか達成されていない。本研究成果は、T細胞へのデリバリーが可能な安全性の高い非ウィルス性のナノ粒子として新しいデリバリー技術を提案することができる。