Our work on nonfouling polymer brushes encompasses both applications in clinical diagnostics and drug delivery. We focus on using poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (POEGMA), which has been investigated as a substitute for linear PEG for various biomedical applications in both drug delivery and diagnostics. POEGMA brushes have a branched architecture and a high density of oligo ethylene glycol moieties, and thus are responsible for effective nonfouling “stealth” behavior. Our lab has applied the nonfouling properties of POEGMA brushes to develop our D4 assay platform for simple and sensitive point-of-care clinical diagnosis.

We have also explored POEGMA as a non-immunogenic substitute for PEG in drug delivery applications in order to address increasingly common reports of anti-PEG antibodies found in patients: by tuning the length of oligo ethylene glycol side chains, we can enable improved circulation of protein and small molecule drugs through POEGMA conjugates, injectable depots, and nanoparticles.

Find some of our recent publications below: