(71b) Polymersomes as Carriers for Genetic and Protein Therapeutics

Polymersomes are polymer-based vesicular shells that form upon hydration of PEG-based amphiphilic block copolymers. These high molecular weight amphiphiles impart physicochemical properties that allow polymersomes to stably encapsulate or integrate a broad range of active molecules as well as to circulate for several hours in vivo (t1/2 ~ 20 hours). This robustness together with recently described mechanisms for controlled breakdown of degradable polymersomes as well as escape from endolysosomes suggests that polymersomes might be usefully viewed as having structure/property/function relationships somewhere between lipid vesicles and viral capsids. Here we describe the assembly and development of polymersomes to encapsulate and deliver genetic (i.e. siRNA and AON) and protein therapeutics.