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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3840-5129
AccessType
Campus-Only Access for Five (5) Years
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Year Degree Awarded
2023
Month Degree Awarded
September
First Advisor
Vincent M. Rotello
Second Advisor
D. Joseph Jerry
Third Advisor
Michelle E. Farkas
Fourth Advisor
Ashish Kulkarni
Subject Categories
Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering | Biomaterials | Biotechnology | Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering | Polymer Science
Abstract
The development of pharmaceutical technology has enabled the treatment of diseases that were once considered ‘undruggable.’ The advent of nucleic acid therapeutics has opened up new possibilities for targeting previously inaccessible pharmaceutical targets. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has shown great potential in various biological applications, including disease treatment and tissue regeneration. Its ability to silence genes in a sequence-specific manner and target a wide range of proteins makes siRNA particularly attractive for medical applications. However, siRNA’s utility at the cellular level is limited since it cannot cross the plasma membrane by itself. Additionally, the lack of safe and effective delivery vectors remains a major challenge in this field. Nanocarrier technologies can encapsulate siRNA therapeutics and facilitate cell uptake, but they are often trapped and degraded in endosomes. An alternative approach is direct cytosolic delivery through a membrane-fusion-like mechanism, which enables the direct transport of cargo to the cytosol with highly increased therapeutic efficacies. In this thesis, my research focused on using poly(oxanorborneneimide) (PONI)-based polymeric nanoparticles to efficiently deliver siRNA therapeutics into the cytosol. The semi-arthritic characteristics of the PONI backbone facilitate efficient cytosolic siRNA delivery through a membrane-fusion-like mechanism. My work demonstrated the incredible versatility of PONI-based polymeric nanoparticles for siRNA therapeutics by varying their structural design with guanidinium, zwitterion, or quaternary ammonium groups and investigating their effects on anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, or anti-microbial therapies. In summary, this thesis presents a highly versatile and modular delivery platform for the efficient cytosolic delivery of siRNA in vitro and in vivo for a wide range of therapeutic applications. This represents a powerful direction for translational research in the treatment of pulmonary inflammation, triple-negative breast cancer, and biofilm-related wound healing.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/35890107
Recommended Citation
Jeon, Taewon, "Intracellular Delivery of siRNA Therapeutics through Polymer Nanoassemblies" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations. 2999.
https://doi.org/10.7275/35890107
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/2999