Engineering Targeted Near Infrared Emissive Polymersomes for Imaging Applications

Abstract

Interdisciplinary investigation at the interface of chemistry, engineering and medicine has triggered the development of self-assembled nanomaterials with novel biomaterial and optical properties. Targeted near infrared (NIR) emissive polymersomes can be used as agents of deep tissue fluorescent imaging and targeted drug delivery. For the development of these agents, my approaches were modification of polymersome surface with functional groups for protein conjugation, and optimization of NIR emissive fluorophores enhancing their organization homogeneity as well as increasing dispersion in polymersomes matrix. Results show successful protein conjugation to biodegradable polymersomes and thus a step forward to apply polymersomes for in vivo imaging and targeted drug delivery with low toxicity.