Design of synthetic polymer nanoparticles that capture and neutralize a toxic peptide. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Design of synthetic polymer nanoparticles that capture and neutralize a toxic peptide.
Small. 2009 Jul ;5(13):1562-8. PMID: 19296557
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. [email protected]
Designed polymer nanoparticles (NPs) capable of binding and neutralizing a biomacromolecular toxin are prepared. A library of copolymer NPs is synthesized from combinations of functional monomers. The binding capacity and affinity of the NPs are individually analyzed. NPs with optimized composition are capable of neutralizing the toxin even in a complex biological milieu. It is anticipated that this strategy will be a starting point for the design of synthetic alternatives to antibodies.