| Affiliation: | State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Key Laboratory of Carbon Fiber and Functional Polymers, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China |
| Abstract: | The design of efficient gene delivery vectors is a challenging task in gene therapy. Recent progress in living/controlled radical polymerizations (LRPs), in particular atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization providing a means for the design and synthesis of new polymeric gene vectors with well-defined compositions, architectures and functionalities is reviewed here. Polymeric gene vectors with different architectures, including homopolymers, block copolymers, graft copolymers, and star-shaped polymers, are conveniently prepared via ATRP and RAFT polymerization. The corresponding synthesis strategies are described in detail. The recent research activities indicate that ATRP and RAFT polymerization have become essential tools for the design and synthesis of advanced, noble and novel gene carriers. |
