Work

Acetalated dextran is a chemically and biologically tunable material for particulate immunotherapy

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Materials that combine facile synthesis, simple tuning of degradation rate, processability, and biocompatibility are in high demand for use in biomedical applications. We report on acetalated dextran, a biocompatible material that can be formed into microparticles with degradation rates that are tunable over 2 orders of magnitude depending on the degree and type of acetal modification. Varying the degradation rate produces particles that perform better than poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and iron oxide, two commonly studied materials used for particulate immunotherapy, in major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and MHC II presentation assays. Modulating the material properties leads to antigen presentation on MHC I via pathways that are dependent or independent of the transporter associated with antigen processing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only example of a material that can be tuned to operate on different immunological pathways while maximizing immunological presentation.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0901592106

Authors: Kyle E. Broaders, Joel A. Cohen, Tristan T. Beaudette, Eric M. Bachelder, Jean M. J. Fréchet

Institution: University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Immunotherapy and Immune Responses

Subfield: Immunology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering