Outputs (84)

A facile one step route that introduces functionality to polymer powders for laser sintering (2024)
Journal Article
Krumins, E., Crawford, L. A., Rogers, D. M., Machado, F., Taresco, V., East, M., …Howdle, S. M. (2024). A facile one step route that introduces functionality to polymer powders for laser sintering. Nature Communications, 15(1), Article 3137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47376-4

Laser Sintering (LS) is a type of Additive Manufacturing (AM) exploiting laser processing of polymeric particles to produce 3D objects. Because of its ease of processability and thermo-physical properties, polyamide-12 (PA-12) represents ~95% of the... Read More about A facile one step route that introduces functionality to polymer powders for laser sintering.

Co-delivery of curcumin and resveratrol by folic acid-conjugated poly(glycerol adipate) nanoparticles for enhanced synergistic anticancer effect against osteosarcoma (2024)
Journal Article
Wongrakpanich, A., Bui Thi Thu, H., Sakchaisri, K., Taresco, V., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Bunsupa, S., & Suksiriworapong, J. (2024). Co-delivery of curcumin and resveratrol by folic acid-conjugated poly(glycerol adipate) nanoparticles for enhanced synergistic anticancer effect against osteosarcoma. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 95, Article 105610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2024.105610

This study explored the co-delivery of curcumin (CUR) and resveratrol (RV) using folic acid-conjugated poly(glycerol adipate)-based nanoparticles (FPPC NPs) to enhance their synergistic anticancer effects against osteosarcoma. Based on synergistic to... Read More about Co-delivery of curcumin and resveratrol by folic acid-conjugated poly(glycerol adipate) nanoparticles for enhanced synergistic anticancer effect against osteosarcoma.

Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance (2024)
Journal Article
Axioti, E., Dixon, E. G., Reynolds-Green, M., Alexander, E. C., Brugnoli, B., Keddie, D. J., …Taresco, V. (2024). Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 236, Article 113828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113828

Despite the success of polyethylene glycol-based (PEGylated) polyesters in the drug delivery and biomedical fields, concerns have arisen regarding PEG's immunogenicity and limited biodegradability. In addition, inherent limitations, including limited... Read More about Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance.

Free drug and ROS-responsive nanoparticle delivery of synergistic doxorubicin and olaparib combinations to triple negative breast cancer models (2024)
Journal Article
Cavanagh, R. J., Monteiro, P. F., Moloney, C., Travanut, A., Mehradnia, F., Taresco, V., …Alexander, C. (2024). Free drug and ROS-responsive nanoparticle delivery of synergistic doxorubicin and olaparib combinations to triple negative breast cancer models. Biomaterials Science, 12(7), 1822-1840. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3bm01931d

Combinations of the topoisomerase II inhibitor doxorubicin and the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor olaparib offer potential drug-drug synergy for the treatment of triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). In this study we performed in vitro scree... Read More about Free drug and ROS-responsive nanoparticle delivery of synergistic doxorubicin and olaparib combinations to triple negative breast cancer models.

Nanostructured Poly-l-lactide and Polyglycerol Adipate Carriers for the Encapsulation of Usnic Acid: A Promising Approach for Hepatoprotection (2024)
Journal Article
Brugnoli, B., Perna, G., Alfano, S., Piozzi, A., Galantini, L., Axioti, E., …Francolini, I. (2024). Nanostructured Poly-l-lactide and Polyglycerol Adipate Carriers for the Encapsulation of Usnic Acid: A Promising Approach for Hepatoprotection. Polymers, 16(3), Article 427. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16030427

The present study investigates the utilization of nanoparticles based on poly-l-lactide (PLLA) and polyglycerol adipate (PGA), alone and blended, for the encapsulation of usnic acid (UA), a potent natural compound with various therapeutic properties... Read More about Nanostructured Poly-l-lactide and Polyglycerol Adipate Carriers for the Encapsulation of Usnic Acid: A Promising Approach for Hepatoprotection.

Glycerol-based sustainably sourced resin for volumetric printing (2024)
Journal Article
Krumins, E., Lentz, J. C., Sutcliffe, B., Sohaib, A., Jacob, P. L., Brugnoli, B., …Taresco, V. (2024). Glycerol-based sustainably sourced resin for volumetric printing. Green Chemistry, 26(3), 1345-1355. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3gc03607c

Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM) represents a revolutionary advancement in the field of Additive Manufacturing, as it allows for the creation of objects in a single, cohesive process, rather than in a layer-by-layer approach. This innovative t... Read More about Glycerol-based sustainably sourced resin for volumetric printing.

Synthesis of core-shell polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide via iterative monomer addition (2023)
Journal Article
Kortsen, K., Reynolds-Green, M., Hopkins, B., McLellan, A., Derry, M. J., Topham, P. D., …Howdle, S. M. (2023). Synthesis of core-shell polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide via iterative monomer addition. Chemical Communications, 59(98), 14536-14539. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cc04969h

A new, robust methodology for the synthesis of polystyrene-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-PMMA) core-shell particles using seeded dispersion polymerisation in supercritical carbon dioxide is reported, where the core-shell ratio can be controlled predi... Read More about Synthesis of core-shell polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide via iterative monomer addition.

Self-assembled chitosan-sodium usnate drug delivery nanosystems: Synthesis, characterization, stability studies, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo biocompatibility against 143 B cells (2023)
Journal Article
Brugnoli, B., Mariano, A., Simonis, B., Bombelli, C., Sennato, S., Piozzi, A., …Francolini, I. (2023). Self-assembled chitosan-sodium usnate drug delivery nanosystems: Synthesis, characterization, stability studies, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo biocompatibility against 143 B cells. Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications, 6, Article 100373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carpta.2023.100373

Polymers are among the most studied materials as drug carriers, due to their tunable chemical structure and ability to self-assemble to give different types of nanostructures. In this study, chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated as carr... Read More about Self-assembled chitosan-sodium usnate drug delivery nanosystems: Synthesis, characterization, stability studies, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo biocompatibility against 143 B cells.

Modification of Poly(Glycerol Adipate) with Tocopherol and Cholesterol Modulating Nanoparticle Self-Assemblies and Cellular Responses of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells to SN-38 Delivery (2023)
Journal Article
Suksiriworapong, J., Achayawat, C., Juangrattanakamjorn, P., Taresco, V., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Sakchaisri, K., & Bunsupa, S. (2023). Modification of Poly(Glycerol Adipate) with Tocopherol and Cholesterol Modulating Nanoparticle Self-Assemblies and Cellular Responses of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells to SN-38 Delivery. Pharmaceutics, 15(8), Article 2100. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15082100

This study aimed to fabricate new variations of glycerol-based polyesters by grafting poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) with hydrophobic bioactive moieties, tocopherol (TOC), and cholesterol (CHO). Their effects on nanoparticle (NP) formation, drug releas... Read More about Modification of Poly(Glycerol Adipate) with Tocopherol and Cholesterol Modulating Nanoparticle Self-Assemblies and Cellular Responses of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells to SN-38 Delivery.

Synthesis of Multifunctional Polymersomes Prepared by Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (2023)
Journal Article
Phan, H., Cavanagh, R., Jacob, P., Destouches, D., Vacherot, F., Brugnoli, B., …Couturaud, B. (2023). Synthesis of Multifunctional Polymersomes Prepared by Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly. Polymers, 15(14), Article 3070. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15143070

Polymersomes are an exciting modality for drug delivery due to their structural similarity to biological cells and their ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. In this regard, the current work aimed to develop multifunctional... Read More about Synthesis of Multifunctional Polymersomes Prepared by Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly.

CD44-Targeted Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles Enhance Anti-Breast Cancer Effect of Cordyceps militaris Extracts (2023)
Journal Article
Suksiriworapong, J., Pongprasert, N., Bunsupa, S., Taresco, V., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Janurai, T., …Wongrakpanich, A. (2023). CD44-Targeted Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles Enhance Anti-Breast Cancer Effect of Cordyceps militaris Extracts. Pharmaceutics, 15(6), Article 1771. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15061771

This study aimed to improve the anticancer effect of Cordyceps militaris herbal extract (CME) on breast cancer cells with hyaluronic acid (HYA) surface-decorated lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNPs) and evaluate the applicability of a synthesiz... Read More about CD44-Targeted Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles Enhance Anti-Breast Cancer Effect of Cordyceps militaris Extracts.

Colorimetric Transition of Polydiacetylene/Cyclodextrin Supramolecular Assemblies and Implications as Colorimetric Sensors for Food Phenolic Antioxidants (2023)
Journal Article
Sergi, R., Brugnoli, B., Sturabotti, E., Piozzi, A., Galantini, L., Taresco, V., & Francolini, I. (in press). Colorimetric Transition of Polydiacetylene/Cyclodextrin Supramolecular Assemblies and Implications as Colorimetric Sensors for Food Phenolic Antioxidants. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, Article 2300098. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202300098

Molecular self‐assembly has significant potential in the field of sensing. Polydiacetylenes (PDAs) are conjugated polymers possessing peculiar optical properties obtained by photopolymerization of self‐assembled diacetylene monomers. Herein, the blue... Read More about Colorimetric Transition of Polydiacetylene/Cyclodextrin Supramolecular Assemblies and Implications as Colorimetric Sensors for Food Phenolic Antioxidants.

Poly (diglycerol adipate) variants as enhanced nanocarrier replacements in drug delivery applications (2023)
Journal Article
Jacob, P. L., Brugnoli, B., Del Giudice, A., Phan, H., Chauhan, V. M., Beckett, L., …Taresco, V. (2023). Poly (diglycerol adipate) variants as enhanced nanocarrier replacements in drug delivery applications. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 641, 1043-1057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.124

Sustainably derived poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) has been deemed to deliver all the desirable features expected in a polymeric scaffold for drug-delivery, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, self-assembly into nanoparticles (NPs) and a func... Read More about Poly (diglycerol adipate) variants as enhanced nanocarrier replacements in drug delivery applications.

Evaluation of cannabidiol nanoparticles and nanoemulsion biodistribution in the central nervous system after intrathecal administration for the treatment of pain (2023)
Journal Article
Muresan, P., Woodhams, S., Smith, F., Taresco, V., Shah, J., Wong, M., …Marlow, M. (2023). Evaluation of cannabidiol nanoparticles and nanoemulsion biodistribution in the central nervous system after intrathecal administration for the treatment of pain. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 49, Article 102664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2023.102664

We investigated how the biodistribution of cannabidiol (CBD) within the central nervous system (CNS) is influenced by two different formulations, an oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsion and polymer-coated nanoparticles (PCNPs). We observed that both CBD f... Read More about Evaluation of cannabidiol nanoparticles and nanoemulsion biodistribution in the central nervous system after intrathecal administration for the treatment of pain.

Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis (2023)
Journal Article
Fowler, H. R., O'Brien, D. M., Keddie, D. J., Alexander, C., Irvine, D. J., Stockman, R. A., …Taresco, V. (2023). Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 224(8), Article 2200446. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202200446

Polyols and polyacrylates have a wide range of applications in polymer synthesis as monomers, initiators, or building blocks in a variety of polymerization reaction types. With an ever-growing need to reduce the global dependency on fossil fuels, fin... Read More about Oxidation of Monoterpenes to Form Diols and Triols: A Versatile Toolbox for Polymer Synthesis.

Predictive Molecular Design and Structure–Property Validation of Novel Terpene-Based, Sustainably Sourced Bacterial Biofilm-Resistant Materials (2023)
Journal Article
Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Ilchev, A., Moore, J. C., Fowler, H. R., Dubern, J., Sanni, O., …Irvine, D. J. (2023). Predictive Molecular Design and Structure–Property Validation of Novel Terpene-Based, Sustainably Sourced Bacterial Biofilm-Resistant Materials. Biomacromolecules, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00721

Presented in this work is the use of a molecular descriptor, termed the α parameter, to aid in the design of a series of novel, terpene-based, and sustainable polymers that were resistant to biofilm formation by the model bacterial pathogen Pseudomon... Read More about Predictive Molecular Design and Structure–Property Validation of Novel Terpene-Based, Sustainably Sourced Bacterial Biofilm-Resistant Materials.

Development of nanoparticle loaded microneedles for drug delivery to a brain tumour resection site (2022)
Journal Article
Muresan, P., McCrorie, P., Smith, F., Vasey, C., Taresco, V., Scurr, D. J., …Marlow, M. (2023). Development of nanoparticle loaded microneedles for drug delivery to a brain tumour resection site. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 182, 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.11.016

Systemic drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) has been historically impeded by the presence of the blood brain barrier rendering many therapies inefficacious to any cancer cells residing within the brain. Therefore, local drug delivery s... Read More about Development of nanoparticle loaded microneedles for drug delivery to a brain tumour resection site.

Polyglycerol Adipate-Grafted Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Antimicrobial Compound Usnic Acid (2022)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Tulini, I., Francolini, I., & Piozzi, A. (2022). Polyglycerol Adipate-Grafted Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Antimicrobial Compound Usnic Acid. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(22), Article 14339. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214339

Nanoparticle (NP) drug delivery systems are known to potentially enhance the efficacy of therapeutic agents. As for antimicrobial drugs, therapeutic solutions against drug-resistant microbes are urgently needed due to the worldwide antimicrobial resi... Read More about Polyglycerol Adipate-Grafted Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Antimicrobial Compound Usnic Acid.

N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide as a functional eROP initiator for the preparation of nanoparticles under “greener” reaction conditions (2022)
Journal Article
Lentz, J. C., Cavanagh, R., Moloney, C., Falcone Pin, B., Kortsen, K., Fowler, H. R., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide as a functional eROP initiator for the preparation of nanoparticles under “greener” reaction conditions. Polymer Chemistry, 13(42), 6032-6045. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2py00849a

N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide was used as a functional initiator for the enzymatic ring-opening polymerisation of ϵ-caprolactone and δ-valerolactone. N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide was found not to undergo self-reaction in the presence of Lipase B from Candid... Read More about N-Hydroxyethyl acrylamide as a functional eROP initiator for the preparation of nanoparticles under “greener” reaction conditions.

Correction to “Facile Dye-Initiated Polymerization of Lactide−Glycolide Generates Highly Fluorescent Poly(lactic-coglycolic Acid) for Enhanced Characterization of Cellular Delivery” (2022)
Journal Article
Yousif, M. D., Al-Natour, M. A., Cavanagh, R., Abouselo, A., Apebende, E. A., Ghaemmaghami, A., …Alexander, C. (2022). Correction to “Facile Dye-Initiated Polymerization of Lactide−Glycolide Generates Highly Fluorescent Poly(lactic-coglycolic Acid) for Enhanced Characterization of Cellular Delivery”. ACS Macro Letters, 11, 1224. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00570

There is a change to the order of authorship for this published Letter. The author list should appear as it does in this Addition and Correction. All authors have agreed to this change.

H2O2-Responsive Nanocarriers Prepared by RAFT-Mediated Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly of N-(2-(Methylthio)ethyl)acrylamide for Biomedical Applications (2022)
Journal Article
Phan, H., Cavanagh, R., Destouches, D., Vacherot, F., Brissault, B., Taresco, V., …Couturaud, B. (2022). H2O2-Responsive Nanocarriers Prepared by RAFT-Mediated Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly of N-(2-(Methylthio)ethyl)acrylamide for Biomedical Applications. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 4(10), 7778-7789. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.2c01327

H2O2-sensitive block copolymer nanoparticles (NPs) composed of a hydrophilic macro-chain transfer agent (macro-CTA) and a hydrophobic thioether-bearing block were prepared by polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) approach. The PISA process firs... Read More about H2O2-Responsive Nanocarriers Prepared by RAFT-Mediated Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly of N-(2-(Methylthio)ethyl)acrylamide for Biomedical Applications.

Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers (2022)
Journal Article
Atkinson, R. L., Elsmore, M., Smith, S., Reynolds-Green, M., Topham, P. D., Toolan, D. T., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers. European Polymer Journal, 179, Article 11567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111567

We report the synthesis of novel terpene-based monomers: nopinyl acrylate and methacrylate, from naturally abundant β-pinene. A very high Tg value was observed for poly(nopinyl methacrylate) when synthesised by free radical polymerisation, and well-d... Read More about Sustainable ABA triblock methacrylate copolymers incorporating both high and low Tg terpene-derived monomers.

A self-crosslinking monomer, α-pinene methacrylate: understanding and exploiting hydrogen abstraction (2022)
Journal Article
Monaghan, O. R., Skowron, S. T., Moore, J. C., Pin-Nó, M., Kortsen, K., Atkinson, R. L., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). A self-crosslinking monomer, α-pinene methacrylate: understanding and exploiting hydrogen abstraction. Polymer Chemistry, 13(39), 5557-5567. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2py00878e

Crosslinking is a valuable route to creating new polymeric materials and normally involves introduction of a cross linker or some form of secondary processing. Here we report the discovery and analysis of a self-crosslinking sustainable terpene deriv... Read More about A self-crosslinking monomer, α-pinene methacrylate: understanding and exploiting hydrogen abstraction.

Antimicrobial ‘inks’ for 3D printing: block copolymer-silver nanoparticle composites synthesised using supercritical CO2 (2022)
Journal Article
Larder, R. R., Krumins, E., Jacob, P. L., Kortsen, K., Cavanagh, R., Jiang, L., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Antimicrobial ‘inks’ for 3D printing: block copolymer-silver nanoparticle composites synthesised using supercritical CO2. Polymer Chemistry, 13(25), 3768-3779. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2py00398h

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are widely exploited for their effective antimicrobial activity against a range of pathogens. Their high efficacy in this regard has seen the global demand for AgNP in consumer products steadily increase in recent years, n... Read More about Antimicrobial ‘inks’ for 3D printing: block copolymer-silver nanoparticle composites synthesised using supercritical CO2.

Synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of hyperbranched N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamides for transport and delivery in pancreatic cell lines in vitro and in vivo (2022)
Journal Article
Anane-Adjei, A. B., Fletcher, N. L., Cavanagh, R. J., Houston, Z. H., Crawford, T., Pearce, A. K., …Alexander, C. (2022). Synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of hyperbranched N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamides for transport and delivery in pancreatic cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Biomaterials Science, 10(9), 2328-2344. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1bm01548f

Hyperbranched polymers have many promising features for drug delivery, owing to their ease of synthesis, multiple functional group content, and potential for high drug loading with retention of solubility. Here we prepared hyperbranched N-(2-hydroxyp... Read More about Synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of hyperbranched N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamides for transport and delivery in pancreatic cell lines in vitro and in vivo.

Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers (2022)
Journal Article
Kortsen, K., Fowler, H. R., Jacob, P. L., Krumins, E., Lentz, J. C., Souhil, M. R., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers. European Polymer Journal, 168, Article 111108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111108

The dispersion polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a widely employed method for producing discrete, spherical PMMA particles from traditional solvents, which cover a broad particle size range. With environmental impact becoming an ever mor... Read More about Exploiting the tuneable density of scCO2 to improve particle size control for dispersion polymerisations in the presence of poly(dimethyl siloxane) stabilisers.

Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant (2022)
Journal Article
d'Almeida Gameiro, M., Jacob, P. L., Kortsen, K., Ward, T., Taresco, V., Stockman, R. A., …Howdle, S. M. (2022). Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant. Journal of Polymer Science, https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20220050

Epoxidized oils are commonly used in the plastics industry as additives in the formulation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and as monomers in the coating industry. They are produced from petrochemical feedstocks or by chemical epoxidation of natural oils... Read More about Greener extraction-chemical modification-polymerization pipeline of vernolic acid from Ethiopian ironweed plant.

Correction to “Bespoke 3D-Printed Polydrug Implants Created via Microstructural Control of Oligomers” (2022)
Journal Article
Ruiz-Cantu, L., Trindade, G. F., Taresco, V., Zhou, Z., He, Y., Burroughs, L., …Wildman, R. D. (2022). Correction to “Bespoke 3D-Printed Polydrug Implants Created via Microstructural Control of Oligomers”. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 14(6), 8654. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c00035

The chemical structure of the drug trandolapril has been corrected in Figure 4c. The conclusions of the work have not been affected by this correction. (Figure present).

Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) (2021)
Journal Article
Sagnelli, D., Vestri, A., Curia, S., Taresco, V., Santagata, G., Johansson, M. K., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). European Polymer Journal, 161, Article 110827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2021.110827

There is significant potential for industrial use of renewables for a wide range of materials demanded by society. Plants, trees and algae are increasingly attracting attention as sustainable sources for functionalised and polymerizable building bloc... Read More about Green enzymatic synthesis and processing of poly (cis-9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2).

Generation and Characterization of a Library of Novel Biologically Active Functional Surfactants (Surfmers) Using Combined High-Throughput Methods (2021)
Journal Article
Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Contreas, L., Taresco, V., Howard, S. C., Dundas, A. A., Limo, M. J., …Irvine, D. J. (2021). Generation and Characterization of a Library of Novel Biologically Active Functional Surfactants (Surfmers) Using Combined High-Throughput Methods. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 13(36), 43290-43300. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c08662

We report the first successful combination of three distinct high-throughput techniques to deliver the accelerated design, synthesis, and property screening of a library of novel, bio-instructive, polymeric, comb-graft surfactants. These three-dimens... Read More about Generation and Characterization of a Library of Novel Biologically Active Functional Surfactants (Surfmers) Using Combined High-Throughput Methods.

Bespoke 3D-Printed Polydrug Implants Created via Microstructural Control of Oligomers (2021)
Journal Article
Ruiz-Cantu, L., Trindade, G. F., Taresco, V., Zhou, Z., He, Y., Burroughs, L., …Wildman, R. D. (2021). Bespoke 3D-Printed Polydrug Implants Created via Microstructural Control of Oligomers. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 13(33), 38969-38978. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c07850

Controlling the microstructure of materials by means of phase separation is a versatile tool for optimizing material properties. Phase separation has been exploited to fabricate intricate microstructures in many fields including cell biology, tissue... Read More about Bespoke 3D-Printed Polydrug Implants Created via Microstructural Control of Oligomers.

Silver- and Zinc-Decorated Polyurethane Ionomers with Tunable Hard/Soft Phase Segregation (2021)
Journal Article
Rapone, I., Taresco, V., Lisio, V. D., Piozzi, A., & Francolini, I. (2021). Silver- and Zinc-Decorated Polyurethane Ionomers with Tunable Hard/Soft Phase Segregation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(11), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22116134

Segmented polyurethane ionomers find prominent applications in the biomedical field since they can combine the good mechanical and biostability properties of polyurethanes (PUs) with the strong hydrophilicity features of ionomers. In this work, PU io... Read More about Silver- and Zinc-Decorated Polyurethane Ionomers with Tunable Hard/Soft Phase Segregation.

Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) backbone modifications with a library of functional diols: Chemical and physical effects (2021)
Journal Article
Jacob, P. L., Ruiz Cantu, L. A., Pearce, A. K., He, Y., Lentz, J. C., Moore, J. C., …Taresco, V. (2021). Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) backbone modifications with a library of functional diols: Chemical and physical effects. Polymer, 228, Article 123912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2021.123912

Enzymatically synthesised poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) has shown a palette of key desirable properties required for a biomaterial to be considered a ‘versatile polymeric tool’ in the field of drug delivery. PGA and its variations can self-assemble in... Read More about Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) backbone modifications with a library of functional diols: Chemical and physical effects.

Functionalisable Epoxy-rich Electrospun Fibres Based on Renewable Terpene for Multi-Purpose Applications (2021)
Journal Article
Montanari, U., Cocchi, D., Brugo, T. M., Pollicino, A., Taresco, V., Romero Fernandez, M., …Gualandi, C. (2021). Functionalisable Epoxy-rich Electrospun Fibres Based on Renewable Terpene for Multi-Purpose Applications. Polymers, 13(11), Article 1804. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111804

New bio-based polymers capable of either outperforming fossil-based alternatives or possessing new properties and functionalities are of relevant interest in the framework of the circular economy. In this work, a novel bio-based polycarvone acrylate... Read More about Functionalisable Epoxy-rich Electrospun Fibres Based on Renewable Terpene for Multi-Purpose Applications.

RAFT polymerisation of renewable terpene (meth)acrylates and the convergent synthesis of methacrylate-acrylate-methacrylate triblock copolymers (2021)
Journal Article
Atkinson, R. L., Monaghan, O., Elsmore, M. T., Topham, P. D., Toolan, D. T. W., Derry, M. J., …Howdle, S. M. (2021). RAFT polymerisation of renewable terpene (meth)acrylates and the convergent synthesis of methacrylate-acrylate-methacrylate triblock copolymers. Polymer Chemistry, 12(21), 3177-3189. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00326g

Terpenes are ideal candidates for sustainable polymer feedstocks, due to their natural abundance and availability from existing waste streams. Previously, we have shown that a range of terpene(meth)acrylate monomers can be synthesised from the most c... Read More about RAFT polymerisation of renewable terpene (meth)acrylates and the convergent synthesis of methacrylate-acrylate-methacrylate triblock copolymers.

Synthesis of water-soluble surfactants using catalysed condensation polymerisation in green reaction media (2021)
Journal Article
Goddard, A. R., Apebende, E. A., Lentz, J. C., Carmichael, K., Taresco, V., Irvine, D. J., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). Synthesis of water-soluble surfactants using catalysed condensation polymerisation in green reaction media. Polymer Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00415h

Sustainable and biobased surfactants are required for a wide range of everyday applications. Key drivers are cost, activity and efficiency of production. Polycondensation is an excellent route to build surfactant chains from bio-sourced monomers, but... Read More about Synthesis of water-soluble surfactants using catalysed condensation polymerisation in green reaction media.

Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2 (2021)
Journal Article
Larder, R. R., Bennett, T. M., Blankenship, L. S., Alves Fernandes, J., Husband, B. K., Atkinson, R. L., …Howdle, S. M. (2021). Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2. Polymer Chemistry, 12(19), 2904-2913. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1py00334h

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) mediated dispersion polymerisation in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is an efficient and green method for synthesising block copolymer microparticles with internal nanostructures. Here we... Read More about Porous hollow TiO2 microparticles for photocatalysis: exploiting novel ABC triblock terpolymer templates synthesised in supercritical CO2.

Polymer pro-drug nanoparticles for sustained release of cytotoxic drugs evaluated in patient-derived glioblastoma cell lines and in situ gelling formulations (2021)
Journal Article
Vasey, C. E., Cavanagh, R. J., Taresco, V., Moloney, C., Smith, S., Rahman, R., & Alexander, C. (2021). Polymer pro-drug nanoparticles for sustained release of cytotoxic drugs evaluated in patient-derived glioblastoma cell lines and in situ gelling formulations. Pharmaceutics, 13(2), https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13020208

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common, malignant and aggressive brain tumour in adults. Despite the use of multimodal treatments, involving surgery, followed by concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the median survival for patients remains less... Read More about Polymer pro-drug nanoparticles for sustained release of cytotoxic drugs evaluated in patient-derived glioblastoma cell lines and in situ gelling formulations.

The HelQ human DNA repair helicase utilizes a PWI-like domain for DNA loading through interaction with RPA, triggering DNA unwinding by the HelQ helicase core (2021)
Journal Article
Jenkins, T., Northall, S. J., Ptchelkine, D., Lever, R., Cubbon, A., Betts, H., …Bolt, E. L. (2021). The HelQ human DNA repair helicase utilizes a PWI-like domain for DNA loading through interaction with RPA, triggering DNA unwinding by the HelQ helicase core. NAR Cancer, 3(1), Article zcaa043. https://doi.org/10.1093/narcan/zcaa043

Genome instability is a characteristic enabling factor for carcinogenesis. HelQ helicase is a component of human DNA maintenance systems that prevent or reverse genome instability arising during DNA replication. Here, we provide details of the molecu... Read More about The HelQ human DNA repair helicase utilizes a PWI-like domain for DNA loading through interaction with RPA, triggering DNA unwinding by the HelQ helicase core.

Influence of structure and solubility of chain transfer agents on the RAFT control of dispersion polymerisation in scCO2 (2020)
Journal Article
Alves Costa Pacheco, A., Fernandes Da Silva Filho, A., Kortsen, K., Hanson-Heine, M., Taresco, V., Hirst, J. D., …Howdle, S. M. (2021). Influence of structure and solubility of chain transfer agents on the RAFT control of dispersion polymerisation in scCO2. Chemical Science, 12(3), 1016-1030. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0sc05281g

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is performed in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) with 2-(dodecylthiocarbonothioylthio)-2-methylpropionic acid (DDMAT) present as chain... Read More about Influence of structure and solubility of chain transfer agents on the RAFT control of dispersion polymerisation in scCO2.

Synthesis and Antibacterial Evaluation of New Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines Kinase Inhibitors (2020)
Journal Article
Greco, C., Catania, R., Balacco, D. L., Taresco, V., Musumeci, F., Alexander, C., …Schenone, S. (2020). Synthesis and Antibacterial Evaluation of New Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines Kinase Inhibitors. Molecules, 25(22), Article 5354. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225354

Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines represent an important class of heterocyclic compounds well-known for their anticancer activity exerted by the inhibition of eukaryotic protein kinases. Recently, pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines have become increasingly attracti... Read More about Synthesis and Antibacterial Evaluation of New Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines Kinase Inhibitors.

Polymerisation-induced self-assembly (PISA) as a straightforward formulation strategy for stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems and biomaterials: recent advances (2020)
Journal Article
Phan, H., Taresco, V., Penelle, J., & Couturaud, B. (2021). Polymerisation-induced self-assembly (PISA) as a straightforward formulation strategy for stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems and biomaterials: recent advances. Biomaterials Science, 9(1), 38-50. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0bm01406k

Stimuli-responsive amphiphilic block copolymers have emerged as promising nanocarriers for enhancing site-specific and on-demand drug release in response to a range of stimuli such as pH, the presence of redox agents, and temperature. The formulation... Read More about Polymerisation-induced self-assembly (PISA) as a straightforward formulation strategy for stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems and biomaterials: recent advances.

Amylose/cellulose nanofiber composites for all-natural, fully biodegradable and flexible bioplastics (2020)
Journal Article
Xu, J., Sagnelli, D., Faisal, M., Perzon, A., Taresco, V., Mais, M., …Blennow, A. (2021). Amylose/cellulose nanofiber composites for all-natural, fully biodegradable and flexible bioplastics. Carbohydrate Polymers, 253, Article 117277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.117277

Thermoplastic, polysaccharide-based plastics are environmentally friendly. However, typical shortcomings include lack of water resistance and poor mechanical properties. Nanocomposite manufacturing using pure, highly linear, polysaccharides can overc... Read More about Amylose/cellulose nanofiber composites for all-natural, fully biodegradable and flexible bioplastics.

Effects of Polymer 3D Architecture, Size, and Chemistry on Biological Transport and Drug Delivery In Vitro and in Orthotopic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Models (2020)
Journal Article
Anane‐Adjei, A. B., Pearce, A. K., Anane-Adjei, A. B., Cavanagh, R. J., Monteiro, P. F., Bennett, T. M., …Alexander, C. (2020). Effects of Polymer 3D Architecture, Size, and Chemistry on Biological Transport and Drug Delivery In Vitro and in Orthotopic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Models. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 9(22), Article 2000892. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202000892

© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH The size, shape, and underlying chemistries of drug delivery particles are key parameters which govern their ultimate performance in vivo. Responsive particles are desirable for triggered drug delivery, achievable through archit... Read More about Effects of Polymer 3D Architecture, Size, and Chemistry on Biological Transport and Drug Delivery In Vitro and in Orthotopic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Models.

Etoposide and olaparib polymer-coated nanoparticles within a bioadhesive sprayable hydrogel for post-surgical localised delivery to brain tumours (2020)
Journal Article
McCrorie, P., Mistry, J., Taresco, V., Lovato, T., Fay, M., Ward, I., …Rahman, R. (2020). Etoposide and olaparib polymer-coated nanoparticles within a bioadhesive sprayable hydrogel for post-surgical localised delivery to brain tumours. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 157, 108-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2020.10.005

Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumour with a median survival of 14.6 months from diagnosis. Despite maximal surgical resection and concurrent chemoradiotherapy, reoccurrence is inevitable. To try combating the disease at a stage of low residual tu... Read More about Etoposide and olaparib polymer-coated nanoparticles within a bioadhesive sprayable hydrogel for post-surgical localised delivery to brain tumours.

On-line polymerisation monitoring in scCO2: a reliable and inexpensive sampling method in high pressure applications (2020)
Journal Article
Kortsen, K., Pacheco, A. A., Lentz, J. C., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2021). On-line polymerisation monitoring in scCO2: a reliable and inexpensive sampling method in high pressure applications. Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 167, Article 105047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supflu.2020.105047

A versatile and reliable on-line sampling system for polymerisation reactions in supercritical fluids was developed. By withdrawing a small volume of a high-pressure reaction mixture and expanding it in a controlled volume, reliable kinetic data were... Read More about On-line polymerisation monitoring in scCO2: a reliable and inexpensive sampling method in high pressure applications.

Functionalized block co-polymer pro-drug nanoparticles with anti-cancer efficacy in 3D spheroids and in an orthotopic triple negative breast cancer model (2020)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Abelha, T. F., Cavanagh, R. J., Vasey, C. E., Anane-Adjei, A. B., Pearce, A. K., …Alexander, C. (2021). Functionalized block co-polymer pro-drug nanoparticles with anti-cancer efficacy in 3D spheroids and in an orthotopic triple negative breast cancer model. Advanced Therapeutics, 4(1), Article 2000103. https://doi.org/10.1002/adtp.202000103

Amphiphilic block co-polymers composed of poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(lactide)-co-poly(2-((tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino)-3-propyl carbonate) (PEG-pLA-pTBPC) are synthesized in monomer ratios and arrangements to enable assembly into nanoparticles with... Read More about Functionalized block co-polymer pro-drug nanoparticles with anti-cancer efficacy in 3D spheroids and in an orthotopic triple negative breast cancer model.

Functional initiators for the ring‐opening polymerization of polyesters and polycarbonates: An overview (2020)
Journal Article
Phan, H., Kortsen, K., Englezou, G., Couturaud, B., Nedoma, A. J., Pearce, A. K., & Taresco, V. (2020). Functional initiators for the ring‐opening polymerization of polyesters and polycarbonates: An overview. Journal of Polymer Science, 58(14), 1911-1923. https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20200313

Functional ring-opening polymerization (ROP) initiators can instill a wide array of chemical, physical, and biological effects into a polymeric chain. Highlighting the versatility of this “active” initiator approach, a broad range of characteristics... Read More about Functional initiators for the ring‐opening polymerization of polyesters and polycarbonates: An overview.

Synthesis of two-phase polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide (2020)
Journal Article
Haddleton, A., Bennett, T. M., Chen, X., Atkinson, R. L., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2020). Synthesis of two-phase polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide. Polymer Chemistry, 11(31), 5029-5039 . https://doi.org/10.1039/d0py00729c

The synthesis of particles with discrete phases using traditional emulsion polymerisation is a well-established process. Phase-separated particles have a wide range of applications, such as in coatings, drug delivery, impact modification and as suppo... Read More about Synthesis of two-phase polymer particles in supercritical carbon dioxide.

Nanoformulation-by-design: an experimental and molecular dynamics study for polymer coated drug nanoparticles (2020)
Journal Article
Styliari, I. D., Taresco, V., Theophilus, A., Alexander, C., Garnett, M., & Laughton, C. (2020). Nanoformulation-by-design: an experimental and molecular dynamics study for polymer coated drug nanoparticles. RSC Advances, 10(33), 19521-19533. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ra00408a

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020. The formulation of drug compounds into nanoparticles has many potential advantages in enhancing bioavailability and improving therapeutic efficacy. However, few drug molecules will assemble into stable, well-def... Read More about Nanoformulation-by-design: an experimental and molecular dynamics study for polymer coated drug nanoparticles.

2?Methyltetrahydrofuran (2?MeTHF) as a versatile green solvent for the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers via ROP, FRP, and RAFT tandem polymerizations (2020)
Journal Article
Englezou, G., Kortsen, K., Pacheco, A. A. C., Cavanagh, R., Lentz, J. C., Krumins, E., …Taresco, V. (2020). 2‐Methyltetrahydrofuran (2‐MeTHF) as a versatile green solvent for the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers via ROP, FRP, and RAFT tandem polymerizations. Journal of Polymer Science, 58(11), 1571-1581. https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20200183

2?methyltetrahydrofuran (2?MeTHF) is a readily available, inexpensive, neoteric, bio?based solvent. It has been adopted across a wide range of chemical processes including the batch manufacture of fine chemicals, enzymatic polycondensations and ring... Read More about 2?Methyltetrahydrofuran (2?MeTHF) as a versatile green solvent for the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers via ROP, FRP, and RAFT tandem polymerizations.

Low-temperature and purification-free stereocontrolled ring-opening polymerisation of lactide in supercritical carbon dioxide (2020)
Journal Article
Bassett, S. P., Russell, A. D., McKeown, P., Robinson, I., Forder, T. R., Taresco, V., …Howdle, S. M. (2020). Low-temperature and purification-free stereocontrolled ring-opening polymerisation of lactide in supercritical carbon dioxide. Green Chemistry, 22(7), 2197-2202. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0gc00352b

A stereoselective, solvent-free ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of lactide (LA) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is reported for the first time. The key aim is to exploit scCO2 to lower the temperature of traditional melt polymerisations, lo... Read More about Low-temperature and purification-free stereocontrolled ring-opening polymerisation of lactide in supercritical carbon dioxide.

Facile Dye-Initiated Polymerization of Lactide–Glycolide Generates Highly Fluorescent Poly(lactic-co-glycolic Acid) for Enhanced Characterization of Cellular Delivery (2020)
Journal Article
Al-Natour, M. A., Yousif, M. D., Cavanagh, R., Abouselo, A., Apebende, E. A., Ghaemmaghami, A., …Alexander, C. (2020). Facile Dye-Initiated Polymerization of Lactide–Glycolide Generates Highly Fluorescent Poly(lactic-co-glycolic Acid) for Enhanced Characterization of Cellular Delivery. ACS Macro Letters, 9(3), 431-437. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.9b01014

Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a versatile synthetic copolymer that is widely used in pharmaceutical applications. This is because it is well-tolerated in the body, and copolymers of varying physic... Read More about Facile Dye-Initiated Polymerization of Lactide–Glycolide Generates Highly Fluorescent Poly(lactic-co-glycolic Acid) for Enhanced Characterization of Cellular Delivery.

Development of Pyrazolo[3,4- d]pyrimidine Kinase Inhibitors as Potential Clinical Candidates for Glioblastoma Multiforme (2020)
Journal Article
Greco, C., Taresco, V., Pearce, A. K., Vasey, C. E., Smith, S., Rahman, R., …Schenone, S. (2020). Development of Pyrazolo[3,4- d]pyrimidine Kinase Inhibitors as Potential Clinical Candidates for Glioblastoma Multiforme. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 11(5), 657-663. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.9b00530

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor. Residual cells at the tumor margin are responsible for up to 85% of GBM recurrences after standard treatment. Despite this evidence, the identification of compounds active on t... Read More about Development of Pyrazolo[3,4- d]pyrimidine Kinase Inhibitors as Potential Clinical Candidates for Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Starch/Poly(glycerol-adipate) Nanocomposites: A Novel Oral Drug Delivery Device (2020)
Journal Article
Vestri, A., Pearce, A. K., Cavanagh, R., Styliari, I. D., Sanders, C., Couturaud, B., …Sagnelli, D. (2020). Starch/Poly(glycerol-adipate) Nanocomposites: A Novel Oral Drug Delivery Device. Coatings, 10(2), Article 125. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10020125

Biocompatible and bio-based materials are an appealing resource for the pharmaceutical industry. Poly(glycerol-adipate) (PGA) is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that can be used to produce self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs) able to encapsul... Read More about Starch/Poly(glycerol-adipate) Nanocomposites: A Novel Oral Drug Delivery Device.

Enzymatic One-Pot Synthesis of Renewable and Biodegradable Surfactants in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (scCO2) (2020)
Journal Article
d’Almeida Gamiero, M., Goddard, A. . R., Taresco, V., & Howdle, S. M. (2020). Enzymatic One-Pot Synthesis of Renewable and Biodegradable Surfactants in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (scCO2). Green Chemistry, 22(4), 1308-1318. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9gc04011k

We seek to expand the opportunities to exploit glycerol, a largely untapped renewable feedstock, by exploiting enzymatic catalysis in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). This work highlights a promising and clean approach to bio-renewable amphiphil... Read More about Enzymatic One-Pot Synthesis of Renewable and Biodegradable Surfactants in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (scCO2).

A ‘greener’ one-pot synthesis of monoterpene-functionalised lactide oligomers (2020)
Journal Article
O'Brien, D. M., Atkinson, R. L., Cavanagh, R., Pacheco, A. A., Larder, R., Kortsen, K., …Taresco, V. (2020). A ‘greener’ one-pot synthesis of monoterpene-functionalised lactide oligomers. European Polymer Journal, 125, 109516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2020.109516

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd In this work we aimed to achieve a totally sustainable Ring Opening Polymerisation (ROP) process, by harmonising the use of naturally occurring or derivable initiators and the green solvent 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF). First... Read More about A ‘greener’ one-pot synthesis of monoterpene-functionalised lactide oligomers.

Enhancing doxorubicin anticancer activity with a novel polymeric platform photoreleasing nitric oxide (2019)
Journal Article
Sodano, F., Cavanagh, R., Pearce, A. K., Lazzarato, L., Rolando, B., Fraix, A., …Sortino, S. (2020). Enhancing doxorubicin anticancer activity with a novel polymeric platform photoreleasing nitric oxide. Biomaterials Science, 8(5), 1329-1344. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9bm01644a

© 2020 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Combinations of conventional chemotherapeutics with unconventional anticancer agents such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species may offer treatment benefits for cancer therapies. Here we report a novel polymer... Read More about Enhancing doxorubicin anticancer activity with a novel polymeric platform photoreleasing nitric oxide.

A simple and efficient method for polymer coating of iron oxide nanoparticles (2019)
Journal Article
Abushrida, A., Elhuni, I., Taresco, V., Marciani, L., Stolnik, S., & Garnett, M. C. (2020). A simple and efficient method for polymer coating of iron oxide nanoparticles. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 55, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2019.101460

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) have many possible uses including as MRI contrast agents, for drug delivery and cell labelling, but need to be stabilised and to be rendered biocompatible through appropriate coatings. Many current coatings are subopti... Read More about A simple and efficient method for polymer coating of iron oxide nanoparticles.

Development of bioactive electrospun scaffolds suitable to support skin fibroblasts and release Lucilia sericata maggot excretion/secretion (2019)
Working Paper
Giacaman, A. G., Styliari, I. D., Taresco, V., Pritchard, D., Alexander, C., & Rose, F. R. Development of bioactive electrospun scaffolds suitable to support skin fibroblasts and release Lucilia sericata maggot excretion/secretion

Larval therapy has been reported to exert beneficial actions upon chronic wound healing by promoting granulation tissue formation, antimicrobial activity and degrading necrotic tissue. However, the use of live maggots is problematic for patient accep... Read More about Development of bioactive electrospun scaffolds suitable to support skin fibroblasts and release Lucilia sericata maggot excretion/secretion.

Enhanced performance of Candida rugosa lipase immobilized onto alkyl chain modified-magnetic nanocomposites (2019)
Journal Article
Francolini, I., Taresco, V., Martinelli, A., & Piozzi, A. (2020). Enhanced performance of Candida rugosa lipase immobilized onto alkyl chain modified-magnetic nanocomposites. Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 132, Article 109439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enzmictec.2019.109439

Lipase-immobilized nanomaterials with high activity and stable reusability would have a great impact in different fields. However, developing such materials has proven to be challenging. Herein, polymer (pAcDED)-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) d... Read More about Enhanced performance of Candida rugosa lipase immobilized onto alkyl chain modified-magnetic nanocomposites.

Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA), an Enzymatically Synthesized Functionalizable Polyester and Versatile Drug Delivery Carrier: A Literature Update (2019)
Journal Article
Swainson, S. M., Styliari, I. D., Taresco, V., & Garnett, M. C. (2019). Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA), an Enzymatically Synthesized Functionalizable Polyester and Versatile Drug Delivery Carrier: A Literature Update. Polymers, 11(10), 1561. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11101561

The enzymatically synthesized poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) has demonstrated all the desirable key properties required from a performing biomaterial to be considered a versatile “polymeric-tool” in the broad field of drug delivery. The step-growth po... Read More about Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA), an Enzymatically Synthesized Functionalizable Polyester and Versatile Drug Delivery Carrier: A Literature Update.

Role of Self‐Assembly Conditions and Amphiphilic Balance on Nanoparticle Formation of PEG‐PDLLA Copolymers in Aqueous Environments (2019)
Journal Article
Phan, H., Minut, R. I., McCrorie, P., Vasey, C., Larder, R. R., Krumins, E., …Pearce, A. K. (2019). Role of Self‐Assembly Conditions and Amphiphilic Balance on Nanoparticle Formation of PEG‐PDLLA Copolymers in Aqueous Environments. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, 57(17), 1801-1810. https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.29451

The production of well-defined and reproducible poly-meric nanoparticles (NPs), in terms of size and stability in biological environments, is undoubtedly a fundamental challenge in the formulation of novel and more effective nanomedicines. The adopti... Read More about Role of Self‐Assembly Conditions and Amphiphilic Balance on Nanoparticle Formation of PEG‐PDLLA Copolymers in Aqueous Environments.

Starch/Poly (Glycerol-Adipate) Nanocomposite Film as Novel Biocompatible Materials (2019)
Journal Article
Sagnelli, Cavanagh, Xu, Swainson, Blennow, Duncan, …Howdle. (2019). Starch/Poly (Glycerol-Adipate) Nanocomposite Film as Novel Biocompatible Materials. Coatings, 9(8), Article 482. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings9080482

Starch is one of the most abundant polysaccharides on the earth and it is the most important source of energy intake for humans. Thermoplastic starch (TPS) is also widely used for new bio-based materials. The blending of starch with other molecules m... Read More about Starch/Poly (Glycerol-Adipate) Nanocomposite Film as Novel Biocompatible Materials.

Amphiphilic tri- and tetra-block co-polymers combining versatile functionality with facile assembly into cytocompatible nanoparticles (2019)
Journal Article
Vasey, C. E., Pearce, A. K., Sodano, F., Cavanagh, R., Abelha, T., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., …Alexander, C. (2019). Amphiphilic tri- and tetra-block co-polymers combining versatile functionality with facile assembly into cytocompatible nanoparticles. Biomaterials Science, 7(9), 3832-3845. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9bm00667b

In order for synthetic polymers to find widespread practical application as biomaterials, their syntheses must be easy to perform, utilising freely available building blocks, and should generate products which have no adverse effects on cells or tiss... Read More about Amphiphilic tri- and tetra-block co-polymers combining versatile functionality with facile assembly into cytocompatible nanoparticles.

Penetration and uptake of Nanoparticles in 3D tumour spheroids (2019)
Journal Article
Tchoryk, A., Taresco, V., Argent, R., Ashford, M. B., Gellert, P., Stolnik, S., …Garnett, M. C. (2019). Penetration and uptake of Nanoparticles in 3D tumour spheroids. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 30(5), 1371-1384. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.9b00136

Animal models are effective for assessing tumour localisation of nanosystems, but difficult to use for studying penetration beyond the vasculature. Here, we have used well-characterised HCT116 colorectal cancer spheroids to study the effect of nanopa... Read More about Penetration and uptake of Nanoparticles in 3D tumour spheroids.

Synthesis of methacrylate-terminated block copolymers with reduced transesterification by controlled ring-opening polymerization (2018)
Journal Article
Ruiz-Cantu, L. A., Pearce, A. K., Burroughs, L., Bennett, T. M., Vasey, C. E., Wildman, R., …Taresco, V. (2019). Synthesis of methacrylate-terminated block copolymers with reduced transesterification by controlled ring-opening polymerization. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 220(2), Article 1800459. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201800459

This work presents a robust method to achieve the synthesis of low molecular weight polyesters 26 via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) initiated by 2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate (HEMA) 27 when using triazabicyclodecene (TBD) as catalyst. The effect th... Read More about Synthesis of methacrylate-terminated block copolymers with reduced transesterification by controlled ring-opening polymerization.

Rapid formulation of redox-responsive oligo-?-aminoester polyplexes with siRNA via jet printing (2018)
Journal Article
Lovato, T., Taresco, V., Alazzo, A., Sansone, C., Stolnik, S., Alexander, C., & Conte, C. (2018). Rapid formulation of redox-responsive oligo-?-aminoester polyplexes with siRNA via jet printing. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 6(41), 6550-6558. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TB01215F

Here we describe a rapid inkjet formulation method for screening newly-synthesised cationic materials for siRNA delivery into cancer cells. Reduction responsive oligo-?-aminoesters were prepared and evaluated for their ability to condense siRNA into... Read More about Rapid formulation of redox-responsive oligo-?-aminoester polyplexes with siRNA via jet printing.

In Silico Screening for Solid Dispersions: The Trouble with Solubility Parameters and χFH (2018)
Journal Article
Turpin, E. R., Taresco, V., Al-Hachami, W. A., Booth, J., Treacher, K., Tomasi, S., …Garnett, M. C. (2018). In Silico Screening for Solid Dispersions: The Trouble with Solubility Parameters and χFH. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 15(10), 4654-4667. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00637

© Copyright 2018 American Chemical Society. The problem of predicting small molecule-polymer compatibility is relevant to many areas of chemistry and pharmaceutical science but particularly drug delivery. Computational methods based on Hildebrand and... Read More about In Silico Screening for Solid Dispersions: The Trouble with Solubility Parameters and χFH.

Structural variations in hyperbranched polymers prepared via thermal polycondensation of lysine and histidine and their effects on DNA delivery (2018)
Journal Article
Alazzo, A., Lovato, T., Collins, H. M., Taresco, V., Stolnik, S., Soliman, M. E., …Alexander, C. (2018). Structural variations in hyperbranched polymers prepared via thermal polycondensation of lysine and histidine and their effects on DNA delivery. Journal of Interdisciplinary Nanomedicine, 3(2), https://doi.org/10.1002/jin2.36

The successful clinical translation of non-viral gene delivery systems has yet to be achieved due to the biological and technical obstacles to preparing a safe, potent and cost-effective vector. Hyper-branched polymers have emerged as promising candi... Read More about Structural variations in hyperbranched polymers prepared via thermal polycondensation of lysine and histidine and their effects on DNA delivery.

Stimuli-responsive prodrug chemistries for drug delivery (2018)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Alexander, C., Singh, N., & Pearce, A. K. (in press). Stimuli-responsive prodrug chemistries for drug delivery. Advanced Therapeutics, https://doi.org/10.1002/adtp.201800030

Research into advanced therapeutic materials is of growing importance worldwide, particularly in the disease areas of infection, neurodegeneration, and oncology. Advances have been made in treating these diverse pathologies but there still remain man... Read More about Stimuli-responsive prodrug chemistries for drug delivery.

High-Throughput Miniaturized Screening of Nanoparticle Formation via Inkjet Printing (2018)
Journal Article
Styliari, I. D., Conte, C., Pearce, A. K., Hüsler, A., Cavanagh, R. J., Limo, M. J., …Taresco, V. (2018). High-Throughput Miniaturized Screening of Nanoparticle Formation via Inkjet Printing. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 303(8), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.201800146

The self‐assembly of specific polymers into well‐defined nanoparticles (NPs) is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry as the resultant materials can act as drug delivery vehicles. In this work, a high‐throughput method to screen the abilit... Read More about High-Throughput Miniaturized Screening of Nanoparticle Formation via Inkjet Printing.

Synthesis and properties of a biodegradable polymer-drug conjugate: Methotrexate-poly(glycerol adipate) (2018)
Journal Article
Suksiriworapong, J., Taresco, V., Ivanov, D. P., Styliari, I. D., Sakchaisri, K., Junyaprasert, V. B., & Garnett, M. C. (2018). Synthesis and properties of a biodegradable polymer-drug conjugate: Methotrexate-poly(glycerol adipate). Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 167, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.03.048

Polymer-drug conjugates have been actively developed as potential anticancer drug delivery systems. In this study, we report the first polymer-anticancer drug conjugate with poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) through the successful conjugation of methotrex... Read More about Synthesis and properties of a biodegradable polymer-drug conjugate: Methotrexate-poly(glycerol adipate).

Enhanced uptake in 2D- and 3D- lung cancer cell models of redox responsive PEGylated nanoparticles with sensitivity to reducing extra-and intracellular environments (2018)
Journal Article
Conte, C., Mastrotto, F., Taresco, V., Tchoryk, A., Quaglia, F., Stolnik, S., & Alexander, C. (2018). Enhanced uptake in 2D- and 3D- lung cancer cell models of redox responsive PEGylated nanoparticles with sensitivity to reducing extra-and intracellular environments. Journal of Controlled Release, 277, 126-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.03.011

In the treatment of lung cancer, there is an urgent need of innovative medicines to optimize pharmacological responses of conventional chemotherapeutics while attenuating side effects. Here, we have exploited some relatively unexplored subtle differe... Read More about Enhanced uptake in 2D- and 3D- lung cancer cell models of redox responsive PEGylated nanoparticles with sensitivity to reducing extra-and intracellular environments.

Water solubility enhancement of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives via miniaturized polymer-drug microarrays (2018)
Journal Article
Sanna, M., Sicilia, G., Alazzo, A., Singh, N., Musumeci, F., Schenone, S., …Alexander, C. (in press). Water solubility enhancement of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives via miniaturized polymer-drug microarrays. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 9(3), https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.7b00456

A miniaturized assay was optimized to evaluate the enhanced apparent water solubility of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives used extensively as anticancer drug scaffolds. The applied amount of drugs used in the reported strategy ranged from 5-10 ?... Read More about Water solubility enhancement of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives via miniaturized polymer-drug microarrays.

Identification of novel ‘inks’ for 3D printing using high throughput screening: bioresorbable photocurable polymers for controlled drug delivery (2018)
Journal Article
Louzao, I., Koch, B., Taresco, V., Ruiz Cantu, L., Irvine, D. J., Roberts, C. J., …Alexander, M. R. (in press). Identification of novel ‘inks’ for 3D printing using high throughput screening: bioresorbable photocurable polymers for controlled drug delivery. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 10(8), https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b15677

A robust discovery methodology is presented to identify novel biomaterials suitable for 3D printing. Currently the application of Additive Manufacturing is limited by the availability of functional inks, especially in the area of biomaterials-this me... Read More about Identification of novel ‘inks’ for 3D printing using high throughput screening: bioresorbable photocurable polymers for controlled drug delivery.

Versatile routes to functional RAFT chain transfer agents through the Passerini multicomponent reaction (2017)
Journal Article
Pearce, A. K., Travanut, A., Couturaud, B., Taresco, V., Howdle, S. M., Alexander, M. R., & Alexander, C. (2017). Versatile routes to functional RAFT chain transfer agents through the Passerini multicomponent reaction. ACS Macro Letters, 6(7), 781-785. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00415

The widespread adoption of RAFT polymerization stems partly from the ease and utility of installing a functional chain transfer agent onto the ends of the generated polymer chains. In parallel, the Passerini multicomponent reaction offers great versa... Read More about Versatile routes to functional RAFT chain transfer agents through the Passerini multicomponent reaction.

Rapid nano-gram scale screening method of micro-arrays to evaluate drug-polymer blends using high-throughput printing technology (2017)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Louzao, I., Scurr, D. J., Turpin, E. R., Laughton, C. A., Alexander, C., …Garnett, M. (in press). Rapid nano-gram scale screening method of micro-arrays to evaluate drug-polymer blends using high-throughput printing technology. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 14(6), https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00182

A miniaturized, high-throughput assay was optimized to screen polymer-drug solid dispersions using a 2-D Ink-jet printer. By simply printing nanoliter amounts of polymer and drug solutions onto an inert surface, drug:polymer micro-dots of tunable com... Read More about Rapid nano-gram scale screening method of micro-arrays to evaluate drug-polymer blends using high-throughput printing technology.

New N-acyl amino acid-functionalized biodegradable polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications (2016)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Suksiriworapong, J., Styliari, I. D., Argent, R. H., Swainson, S. M., Booth, J., …Garnett, M. C. (in press). New N-acyl amino acid-functionalized biodegradable polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. RSC Advances, 6(111), 109401-109405. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA21464A

A novel class of biodegradable polyesters has been generated by coupling poly(glycerol adipate) with N-acyl aromatic amino acids. This new set of polymers from this highly versatile polymeric platform may offer unprecedented new opportunities to prod... Read More about New N-acyl amino acid-functionalized biodegradable polyesters for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.

Amphiphilic block copolymers from a renewable ?-decalactone monomer: prediction and characterization of micellar core effects on drug encapsulation and release (2016)
Journal Article
Kakde, D., Taresco, V., Bansal, K. K., Magennis, E. P., Howdle, S. M., Mantovani, G., …Alexander, C. (in press). Amphiphilic block copolymers from a renewable Ɛ-decalactone monomer: prediction and characterization of micellar core effects on drug encapsulation and release. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 44, https://doi.org/10.1039/C6TB01839D

Here we describe a methoxy poly(ethyleneglycol)-b-poly(ε-decalactone) (mPEG-b-PεDL) copolymer and investigate the potential of the copolymer as a vehicle for solubilisation and sustained release of indomethacin (IND). The indomethacin loading and rel... Read More about Amphiphilic block copolymers from a renewable ?-decalactone monomer: prediction and characterization of micellar core effects on drug encapsulation and release.

Properties of acyl modified poly(glycerol-adipate) comb-like polymers and their self-assembly into nanoparticles (2016)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Suksiriworapong, J., Creasey, R., Burley, J. C., Mantovani, G., Alexander, C., & Garnett, M. (2016). Properties of acyl modified poly(glycerol-adipate) comb-like polymers and their self-assembly into nanoparticles. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, 54(20), 3267-3278. https://doi.org/10.1002/pola.28215

There is an increasing need to develop bio-compatible polymers with an increased range of different physicochemical properties. Poly(glycerol-adipate) (PGA) is a biocompatible, biodegradable amphiphilic polyester routinely produced from divinyl adipa... Read More about Properties of acyl modified poly(glycerol-adipate) comb-like polymers and their self-assembly into nanoparticles.

Variation in structure and properties of poly(glycerol adipate) via control of chain branching during enzymatic synthesis (2016)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Creasey, R., Kennon, J., Mantovani, G., Alexander, C., Burley, J. C., & Garnett, M. C. (2016). Variation in structure and properties of poly(glycerol adipate) via control of chain branching during enzymatic synthesis. Polymer, 89, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2016.02.036

Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) can be produced from divinyl adipate and unprotected glycerol by an enzymatic route to generate a polymer with relatively low molar mass (12 kDa). PGA bears a pendant hydroxyl group which imparts a hydrophilic character... Read More about Variation in structure and properties of poly(glycerol adipate) via control of chain branching during enzymatic synthesis.

Combinatorial Biomolecular Nanopatterning for High-Throughput Screening of Stem-Cell Behavior (2015)
Journal Article
Amin, Y. Y. I., Runager, K., Simoes, F., Celiz, A., Taresco, V., Rossi, R., …Ogaki, R. (2016). Combinatorial Biomolecular Nanopatterning for High-Throughput Screening of Stem-Cell Behavior. Advanced Materials, 28(7), 1472-1476. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201504995

© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. A novel combinatorial biomolecular nanopatterning method is reported, in which multiple biomolecular ligands can be patterned in multiple nanoscale dimensions on a single surface. The applicability... Read More about Combinatorial Biomolecular Nanopatterning for High-Throughput Screening of Stem-Cell Behavior.

Antioxidant Hydroxytyrosol-Based Polyacrylate with Antimicrobial and Antiadhesive Activity Versus Staphylococcus Epidermidis (2015)
Book Chapter
Crisante, F., Taresco, V., Donelli, G., Vuotto, C., Martinelli, A., D’Ilario, L., …Piozzi, A. (2015). Antioxidant Hydroxytyrosol-Based Polyacrylate with Antimicrobial and Antiadhesive Activity Versus Staphylococcus Epidermidis. In Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health. Volume 2 (25-36). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2015_5013

The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in microbial biofilms has been recently recognized to play a role in promoting antibiotic resistance in biofilm-growing bacteria. ROS are also over-produced when a medical device is implanted and they... Read More about Antioxidant Hydroxytyrosol-Based Polyacrylate with Antimicrobial and Antiadhesive Activity Versus Staphylococcus Epidermidis.