Rapid optimization of gene delivery by parallel end-modification of poly(beta-amino ester)s

Poly(beta-amino ester)s are cationic degradable polymers that have significant potential as gene delivery vectors. Here we present a generalized method to modify poly(beta-amino ester)s at the chain ends to improve their delivery performance. End-chain coupling reactions were developed so that polymers could be synthesized and tested in a high-throughput manner, without the need for purification. In this way, many structural variations at the polymer terminus could be rapidly evaluated. End-modification of the terminal amine structure of a previously optimized poly(beta-amino ester), C32, significantly enhanced its in vitro transfection efficiency. In vivo, intraperitoneal (IP) gene delivery using end-modified C32 polymers resulted in expression levels over one order of magnitude higher than unmodified C32 and jet-polyethylenimine (jet-PEI) levels in several abdominal organs. The rapid end-modification strategy presented here has led to the discovery of many effective polymers for gene delivery and may be a useful method to develop and optimize cationic polymers for gene therapy.