| Institution: | 1. ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia;2. School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072 Australia;3. ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia;4. School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia;5. Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN), School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW, 2052 Australia |
| Abstract: | The conjugation of hydrophilic low-fouling polymers to therapeutic molecules and particles is an effective approach to improving their aqueous stability, solubility, and pharmacokinetics. Recent concerns over the immunogenicity of poly(ethylene glycol) has highlighted the importance of identifying alternative low fouling polymers. Now, a new class of synthetic water-soluble homo-fluoropolymers are reported with a sulfoxide side-chain structure. The incorporation of fluorine enables direct imaging of the homopolymer by 19F MRI, negating the need for additional synthetic steps to attach an imaging moiety. These self-reporting fluoropolymers show outstanding imaging sensitivity and remarkable hydrophilicity, and as such are a new class of low-fouling polymer for bioconjugation and in vivo tracking. |
