Metabolite-Based Modification of Poly(l-lysine) for Improved Gene Delivery.

Synthetic gene delivery systems employ multiple functions to enable safe and effective transport of DNA to target cells. Here, we describe metabolite-based poly(l-lysine) (PLL) modifiers that improve transfection by imparting both pH buffering and nanoparticle stabilization functions within a single molecular unit. PLL modifiers were based on morpholine (M), morpholine and niacin (MN), or thiomorpholine (TM). PLL modification with (MN) or (TM) imparted buffering function over the pH range of 5-7 both in solution and live cells and enhanced the stability of PLL DNA nanoparticles, which exhibited higher resistance to polyanion exchange and prolonged blood circulation. These properties translated into increased transfection efficiency in vitro coupled with reduced toxicity compared to unmodified PLL and PLL(M). Furthermore, PEG-PLL(MN) DNA nanoparticles transfected muscle tissue in vivo for >45 days following intramuscular injection. These polymer modifiers demonstrate the successful design of multifunctional units that improve transfection of synthetic gene delivery systems while maintaining biocompatibility.

Urgent decisions and a tight spot: embolic infarction of a herniated cerebellar tonsil.

A previously well 30-year-old woman presented at 17:30 with a sudden onset of dizziness, ataxia and headache. She was initially investigated with a CT scan of the brain and lumbar puncture, which yielded no diagnosis. Subsequent MR scan revealed multiple posterior circulation infarcts, along with a previously undiagnosed Arnold-Chiari 2 malformation with an associated syrinx of her cervical and thoracic spine. The infarct involved one of the herniated cerebellar tonsils. Oedema of an infarct in the herniated tonsils caused compression of the medulla at the foramen magnum, with associated neurological symptoms including Lhermitte's phenomenon and headache on valsalva manoeuvre. Owing to these symptoms a surgical decompression was performed. The most likely aetiology of her stroke was determined to be a paradoxical embolus via patent foramen ovale.

Polydipyrrole- and polydicarbazole-nanorods as new nanosized supports for DNA hybridization.

Novel functional polydipyrrole- and polydicarbazole nanorods have been AAO template-synthesized from COOH-dipyrrole/-dicarbazole monomers using Vapor Deposition and Liquid Phase Polymerizations (VDP and LPP). They were tested as insoluble supports for covalent DNA attachment and hybridization.

Stabilization of cysteine-linked antibody drug conjugates with N-aryl maleimides.

Maleimides are often used to covalently attach drugs to cysteine thiols for production of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). However, ADCs formed with traditional N-alkyl maleimides have variable stability in the bloodstream leading to loss of drug. Here, we report that N-aryl maleimides form stable antibody conjugates under very mild conditions while also maintaining high conjugation efficiency. Thiol-maleimide coupling and ADC stabilization via thiosuccinimide hydrolysis were accelerated by addition of N-phenyl or N-fluorophenyl groups to the ring-head nitrogen. Cysteine-linked ADCs prepared with N-aryl maleimides exhibited less than 20% deconjugation in both thiol-containing buffer and serum when incubated at 37 °C over a period of 7 days, whereas the analogous ADCs prepared with N-alkyl maleimides showed 35-67% deconjugation under the same conditions. ADCs prepared with the anticancer drug N-phenyl maleimide monomethyl-auristatin-E (MMAE) maintained high cytotoxicity following long-term exposure to serum whereas the N-alkyl maleimide MMAE ADC lost potency over time. These data demonstrate that N-aryl maleimides are a convenient and flexible platform to improve the stability of ADCs through manipulation of functional groups attached to the maleimide ring-head nitrogen.

New magnetically responsive polydicarbazole-magnetite nanoparticles.

Magnetically responsive COOH-polydicarbazole-magnetite nanocomposites have been prepared by chemical oxidation of three COOH-dicarbazole monomers and - in the presence of magnetite nanoparticles. These functionalized nanoparticles have been tested for DNA hybridization experiments.

Magnetically responsive carboxylated magnetite-polydipyrrole/polydicarbazole nanocomposites of core-shell morphology. Preparation, characterization, and use in DNA hybridization.

Novel bis-heterocyclic mono- and dicarboxylated dipyrrole and dicarbazole monomers have been synthesized in a modular manner. Their oxidative polymerization around magnetite nanosized particles has been investigated and optimized toward new magnetic magnetite-polydipyrrole/polydicarbazole nanocomposites (NCs) of a core-shell morphology. These NCs were thoroughly characterized by FT-IR, TGA (Thermal Gravimetric Analysis), low- and high-resolution TEM/HR-TEM microscopies, and Mössbauer spectroscopy along with magnetization studies. Exploiting the versatile COOH chemistry (activation by water-soluble diimides) introduced by the polymeric shell, DNA hybridization experiments have been conducted onto NC surfaces using an efficient blue-colored HRP-based enzymatic screening biological system. Highly parallel NC-supported DNA hybridization experimentations revealed that these NCs presented an interesting potential for DNA-based diagnostic applications.