Project ID: PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-0745
Projector leader: Valentin Victor Jerca
Project type: National Funding
Project program: Research projects to stimulate the competitivity of Romanian economy – Demonstrative experimental projects – Competition 2019
Funded by: Unit Executive for Funding Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation
Contractor: "C.D. Nenitzescu" Institute of Organic and Supramolecular Chemistry
Partner: National Institute of Military Medical Research and Development "Cantacuzino"
Start date: 01 November 2020
End date: 31 October 2022

Project abstract:
The present project aims at developing an innovative platform for tumor drug delivery based on poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPOx) and doxorubicin (DOX) as chemo-immuno therapeutic agent. PiPOx emerged as a novel and versatile platform to develop advanced functional materials, showing high potential to be used in the development of biomaterials. The versatility of PiPOx polymer consists in its hydrophilic and biocompatible character, and in the fact that it can be synthesized with well-defined characteristics via anionic polymerization, using “in house” developed protocols. In addition, PiPOx can be easily modified by ring opening addition reactions in the presence of various reactive groups, thus, enabling the possibility to be used to conjugate hydrophobic drugs, such as DOX, which is a well-known drug used in chemotherapy. Polymer conjugates have been developed to overcome the drawbacks of conventional chemotherapy, such as resistance to therapy, high therapeutic doses, and inherent major side effects. Via the herein proposed objectives and activities, the multidisciplinary team of specialists undertook the challenge to demonstrate that PiPOx-DOX conjugates may represent a versatile and superior alternative in the construction of advanced drug-delivery systems for cancer therapy. The proposed model is expected to enhance the activity and/or decrease the high systemic toxicity of free DOX, allowing for lower therapeutic doses to be used, and be applied in precision medicine.