A new very easily degradable polymer that could be used for drug delivery

 Using a new polymerization technique that allows the design of macromolecules with a controlled and homogeneous architecture, researchers at the Institut Galien Paris-Saclay, have synthesized a polymer material that is very easily degradable. By inserting a brittle monomer into polyacrylamide it can, depending on the nature of the added monomer, either become soluble in water or present a solubility that can be adjusted according to the temperature, especially around that of the human body.  In water, this new plastic can degrade by more than 70% within a week, compared to several months or even years for current reference biodegradable polymers, such as PLA or PCL for example. Due to the characteristics of these new polymers and their ease of synthesis, the research team believes that they could be used to deliver drugs by formulating these polymers as thermosensitive nanoparticles capable of solubilizing at body temperature.



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