Posted by Amphiphilic copolymers present a unique chemical structure that includes both hydrophilic and hydrophobic chains, which trigger a self-assembling behavior in selective solvents due to the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions among different polymer blocks. Based on this behavior, amphiphilic copolymers can form micelles or polymer vesicles (polymersomes), making them attractive for numerous applications in biomedicine, including their usage as drug delivery systems. There is a high demand for new drug-polymer formulations to be used as effective carriers that allow for an efficient controlled release of the active substance in the targeted area. From this point of view, amphiphilic copolymers are emerging in biomedicine, where there is a stringent need for a system responsive to external stimuli (pH, temperature, solvents, etc.) and that is capable of loading and releasing the incorporated drug.
This Special Issue aims to collect papers related to all aspects regarding the development (process engineering, synthesis, characterization, theoretical modelling, etc.) of self-assembled amphiphilic copolymers and their application as new drug delivery systems. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Synthesis routes and property control;
- Fine tuning of amphiphilic copolymers’ properties;
- Chemical modifications of amphiphilic copolymers;
- Process engineering of polymer matrices;
- Encapsulation and delivery of hydrophilic drugs from hydrophobic copolymers;
- Encapsulation and delivery of hydrophobic drugs from hydrophilic copolymers;
- Controlled drug delivery studies;
- Drug targeting.
Special Issue Editors
Department of Sciences, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 700440 Iasi, Romania
Dr. Elena-Laura Ursu
Centre of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Read more: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmaceutics/special_issues/assembled_polymer