Download Royal Society of Chemistry Seminar Series Active Polymersomes: Synthesis and Applications 4 pm Thursday 28

4 pm
Thursday 28th January 2016
Physics Lecture Theatre (PLT)
Royal Society of Chemistry Seminar Series
Active Polymersomes: Synthesis and Applications
Prof. Giuseppe Battaglia
Department of Chemistry, University College London
My research is focused on the investigation of the specific design rules behind inter/intramolecular interactions
and self‐assembly of soft matter systems combining synthetic and supramolecular chemistry. We combine
functional units into macromolecular components using controlled polymerisation techniques. These are
than engineered to control supramolecular interactions to self‐assemble into well‐defined nanoscopic
structures. The general intent is to design nanostructured units that mimic specific biological functions and/or
introduce functions that do not exist in Nature. These are subsequently applied into tackling clinical challenges
associated with drug delivery and diagnostics. In the last years we have been working on the development of
nanoscopic vesicles formed by the assembly in water of amphiphilic block copolymers. These polymer vesicles
also known as polymersomes have been designed with size, topology and morphology similar to natural viruses
and cells. I will discuss how these structures can be designed both at the molecular and supramolecular level
and will show how their structure can be easily adapted to several biomedical applications and drug delivery in
particular.