Polymers in Therapeutic Delivery
ACS Symposium Series

The delivery of genes and drugs remains an active research area, with new challenges arising from the need to deliver specialized cargo, including antibodies, peptides, proteins and oligonucleotides and the need of reaching desired release profiles. Polymer-based systems hold great promise, as polymers can be designed and modified to meet new challenges. Frontline investigators describe polymer systems, such as polyethylenimine, poly(thioether anhydrides), stimuli-responsive hydrogels, and metal-organic nanomaterials, to deliver specific therapeutics, such as genetic materials and anticancer drugs, in controlled manners. Polymer chemists, pharmaceutical scientists, material chemists, and other researchers will find this collection valuable for their research.

Tomoko Fujiwara is Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department at The University of Memphis. She received her Ph.D. in Polymer Science from Kyoto Institute of Technology in 2001. After postdoctoral training at Virginia Commonwealth University, she started her academic career at Boise State University, then moved to The University of Memphis in 2007. Tomoko is a synthetic polymer chemist and develops polymeric membranes, hydrogels, fibers, and nanoparticles for biomedical applications such as drug and gene delivery systems, medical implants, and tissue regeneration. She has authored over 70 publications. X. Michael Liu is Director of CMC and Pharmaceutical Development at Glaukos Corporation in San Clemente, California. Liu is an accomplished scientific leader in medical devices and pharmaceutical industries. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Massachusetts, M.S. in Product Development from Rochester Institute of Technology, and B.S. in Biochemistry from Sun Yat-sen University. Liu has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles and 20 patents/patent applications. He serves as an editorial board member for International Journal of Analytical Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography and International Journal of Analytical Techniques. He has organized/co-organized various technical symposia in the areas of polymer applications, characterization, and drug delivery at National ACS meetings. His current research interests include novel drug delivery systems, combination drug product development, and establishments of polymer structure/process/performance relationships in biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. Yuichi Ohya is Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Materials Engineering at Kansai University. He received his B.S. degree from Kyoto University in 1987 and Ph.D. in Engineering from Kyoto University in 1993. He has served as the director of the Collaborative Research Center of Engineering, Medicine and Pharmacolo