SYNTHETIC MIMICS OF CELL PENETRATING PEPTIDES FOR PHARMACEUTICAL DELIVERY AND DISEASE DIAGNOSIS
Gregory N. Tew, Ph.D.
A team of innovative polymer scientists lead by Dr. Gregory N. Tew at University of Massachusetts Amherst has designed and developed a new class of synthetic polymers, called protein transduction domain mimics (PTDMs), for applications in pharmaceutical delivery and disease diagnosis. These novel polymers are synthetic mimics of protein transduction domains (PTDs), and are designed to mimic and improve the biological activity of PTDs. They can be readily synthesized and transport across lipid bilayers with efficiencies significantly better than their natural peptide analogs. Their rich chemical diversity and structural tunability allow for highly efficient delivery of many different cargos, such as DNA, siRNA and proteins, into a variety of cells. 
The figure demonstrates the delivery of siRNA into immune cells. When a commercial siRNA transfection agent was used, 0% knock-down of the target protein was observed (blue curve, left panel), as in the untreated control shown in red. When the siRNA was delivered in the presence of a new synthetic polymeric mimic of PTD (PDTM), ~70% protein knock-down was measured (blue curve, right panel) when compared with the untreated control.
- Stable, and self-activating polymeric system
- Simple and versatile polymer synthesis platform
- Polymer structure and composition highly tunable for various end-use applications
- Pharmaceutical delivery
- Disease diagnosis
- Bio-imagining and bio-sensing
Dr. Gregory N. Tew, Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering, is a highly recognized scientist and entrepreneur in the field of polymer and material sciences as well as their interfaces with other scientific disciplines, and he has received numerous awards for his scientific achievements. His research interests include supramolecular polymer science, directed self-assembly, bioinspired and biomimetic structures, self-organization, well-defined macromolecular architectures, metal-containing polymers, membrane biophysics, physical organic chemistry, sensors, hydrogels, anion exchange membranes, and alkaline fuel cells.
Available / Start-up Venture
UMA 09-26
Patent Pending
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