AbstractsPhysics

Hydrogels, water-swollen polymeric networks, have been intensively investigated due to their unique characteristics that make them useful in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Hydrogels have been shown to be biocompatible and to possess similar hydration and flexibility to those of natural tissue. Hydrogels with well-defined physico-chemical properties may show a reproducible release profile when delivering bioactive molecules. However, prediction of the release profile of bioactive molecules is highly challenging when developing delivery systems that operate in a timely manner. In this presentation, to attempt to generate a predictable release model of polynucleic acid delivery systems, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate-based hydrogels were generated in nano-, micro-, and macrosized by electron-beam lithography, ultra-violet (UV) optical lithography, and UV polymerization followed by cutting with a biopsy punch, respectively. The generated hydrogel was conjugated with a peptide containing an octaarginine motif, known to have an ability to interact with polynucleic acids. Association/dissociation behaviors of the proposed system with polynucleic acids were explored using mathematical modeling. The results indicate that adsorption is multilayered, hydrogel surface is energetically heterogeneous, and electrostatic interaction occurs between them. Desorption profiles of polynucleic acids from the hydrogel suggest that there are two periods and rates of release that are presumably related to the state of the hydrogel. Understanding of interaction of polynucleic acids with the hydrogels provides beneficial information for hydrogel-based system design for polynucleic acid delivery in future. This work was conducted in a facility constructed with support from Research Facilities Improvement Program Grant Number C06 RR15482 and R01 NS055095 from NIH. The part of work was performed at the Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences User Facility under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. Advisors/Committee Members: Art, Jonathan J (advisor).