Towards mitochondrial targeting for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Abstract
Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a promising approach to overcoming biological
barriers imposed by the human body. Polymeric NPs offer a superior synthetic
flexibility and advances in polymerization chemistries have made polymeric
architectures with precisely tuned properties accessible. Ring opening metathesis
polymerization (ROMP) has become a popular polymerization technique due to its mild
conditions a tolerance to an array of functional groups. We successfully synthesized
two generations of ROMP monomers that feature polymerizable group and a
mitochondrial targeting ligand linked together via a hydrophilic spacer. This monomer
can be co-polymerized with another ROMP monomer bearing a fluorescent molecule
to enable the visualization of the polymeric NPs in the cell. The second-generation
monomers differ from the first-generation analogues by their three-fold longer
hydrophilic linkers. Co-polymers prepared from second-generation monomers show
cellular up-take but no mitochondrial localization.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Embargo Date: 2024-04-10
Embargo Reason: Thesis restricted in accordance with University regulations. Print and electronic copy restricted until 10th April 2024
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