(165b) Tailoring the Size of Biodegradable Poly (sulfobetaine) Hydrogels for IgG Pulmonary Delivery

Zwitterionic polymers are biocompatible materials that have shown promise in the area of drug delivery. The dual charges in the molecule help retain protein structure and minimize the immune response against the polymer. Through the use of emulsion polymerization, the size of the hydrogel bead can be controlled to yield an inhalable zwitterionic polymer particle for pulmonary drug delivery. In our research, we developed a pathway to synthesize inhalable, swellable poly (sulfobetaine) (pSB) particles used for pulmonary drug delivery with diameter approximately equal to 1 μm. We characterized the degradation of biodegradable pSB and the associated cytotoxicity. To evaluate the efficacy of biodegradable pSB hydrogels for protein delivery, we used confocal microscopy coupled with UV-vis to quantify loading and release of IgG.