NIH R01 · 2024
Zwitterionic polyethylene glycol for therapeutic delivery
Project Summary Biologic drugs and nanomedicines with conjugated polyethylene glycol (PEG) show extended circulation in the blood, increasing therapeutic efficacy. The U.S. FDA has approved more than 30 PEGylated biologics, including proteins, nucleotides, and peptides, and a few PEGylated nanomedicines, for example COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Attached PEG chains increase the hydrodynamic radiuses of these therapeutics to reduce their renal clearance during blood circulation. More importantly, PEG conceals therapeutics from immune cells by repelling plasma proteins, rendering therapeutics stealth behavior. The adsorption of a few types of plasma proteins onto therapeutics can lead to the…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.