BACKGROUND Hollow vesicles formed from block copolymers, so-called polymersomes, have been extensively studied in the last decade for their various applications in drug delivery, in diagnostics and as nanoreactors. The immobilization of proteins on the polymersomes' surface can aid in cell targeting, lead to functional biosensors or add an additional reaction space for multistep syntheses. In a...

Nanoparticles formed from diblock copolymers of FDA approved PEO and PCL have generated considerable interest as in vivo drug delivery vehicles. Herein, we report the synthesis of the most extensive family PEO-b-PCL copolymers that vary over the largest range of number-average molecular weights (Mn: 3.6-57k), PEO weight fractions (fPEO: 0.08-0.33), and PEO chain lengths (0.75-5.8k) reported to ...

The fusion mechanism of polymersomes self-assembled by rod-coil copolymers is intrinsically different from that of liposomes due to the effect of chain topology on conformational entropy and molecular packing. The influences of membrane tension, coil-block length, rod-block length, mutual compatibility between the solvent and the rod-coil block, and π-π interaction strength on the fusion pathwa...

Polymersomes are vesicles which consist of compartments surrounded by membrane walls that are composed of lamellae of block copolymers. They are important for numerous applications in encapsulation and delivery of active ingredients such as food additives, drugs, fragrances, and enzymes. Polymersomes are typically prepared by precipitating block copolymers from their solvents through addition o...

Featured Article: Gao XH, Cui YY, Levenson RM, Chung LWK, Nie SM. In vivo cancer targeting and imaging with semiconductor quantum dots. Nat Biotechnol 2004;22:969 –76. The development of high-sensitivity and highspecificity probes that transcend the intrinsic limitations of organic fluorophores has been highly sought after by scientists in fields ranging from basic biology to molecular imaging ...

•Glucose-responsive oral insulin platform to achieve one treatment a day•Protect the integrity and bioavailability of against harsh GI tract•Overcome intestinal epithelial barriers via FcRn-mediated transport•On-demand release dependent solely on blood glucose levels Insulin delivery systems have gained much attention in type 1 advanced 2 diabetes mellitus. Among them, non-invasive delivery, su...

•Thermal isomerization pathways of donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts are tuned by polarity•Non-selective stimuli produce selective responses in the DASA mixture Natural systems such as cells or organisms consist thousands stimulus-responsive and adaptive molecules assemblies enzymes proteins. To achieve a multitude selectivity despite limited set available stimuli, nature relies on highly contro...