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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
Soluble camptothecin derivatives prepared by click cycloaddition chemistry on functional aliphatic polyesters
1Polymer Science & Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Conte Center for Polymer Research, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
Abstract:
Aliphatic polyesters are of interest as biomaterials and drug-delivery vehicles, as their ability to degrade under physiological conditions provides a mechanism for both drug release and clearance of the polymer from the body. Presented here is the synthesis of a polyester-drug graft copolymer conjugate, enabled by click cycloaddition of azide-functionalized camptothecin derivatives with alkyne-functionalized aliphatic polyesters. Further grafting of residual alkyne groups with azide-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) gave a water-soluble polyester-camptothecin conjugate. Control over PEGylation and drug loading, inherent to the graft copolymer design, opens versatile routes to new materials with potential utility in polymer therapeutics.
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