SBIR Phase I: Star Polymer Micelles as Targeted Drug Delivery System

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a novel nanostructured polymer micelle system for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs. A star structural polymer will be synthesized for use as the drug delivery vehicle. The star polymer will form unimolecular micelles under aqueous conditions. Hydrophobic drugs can be encapsulated in the unimolecular micelles and delivered to the cancer tissue via an active targeting process. Functional groups at the micelles surface will act as targeting moieties and lead the drug carrier to the desired cancer cells. The specific aims in the proposed program are to synthesize and characterize a candidate star polymer, and to conduct in vitro endothelial cell adhesive assay to determine the affinity of the star polymer to v3 and v5 integrins. Commercially, with this proposed new drug delivery system, more selective delivery by active targeting is possible. This will reduce the drug dose and undesirable side effects and make chemotherapy for cancer treatment more efficient. New drug delivery systems have had an impact on nearly every branch of medicine. Annual sales in the United States of advanced drug delivery systems exceed $10 billion alone and are rising rapidly.