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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

High-throughput Synthesis of Carbohydrates and Functionalization of Polyanhydride Nanoparticles
Published on: July 6, 2012
Synthesis, characterization, and biological interaction of glyconanoparticles with controlled branching
Walter T Liau1, Colin Bonduelle, Marion Brochet
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles , 410 Westwood Plaza, Room 5121, Engineering V, PO Box 951600, Los Angeles, California 90095-1600, United States.
Abstract:
Branched amphiphilic copolymers were synthesized through the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) chain extension of a poly(methyl acrylate) macro-chain transfer agent using a protected galactose monomer and a polymerizable chain transfer agent branching unit. After galactose deprotection, the copolymers were self-assembled via nanoprecipitation. The resultant nanoparticles were analyzed for their size, shape, and biological interaction with a galactose binding lectin. Using light scattering, the nanoparticles were determined to be solid spheres. Nanoparticles containing branched glycoblocks bound significantly more lectin than those containing comparable linear blocks. By adjusting the molecular weight and branching of the copolymer, the size of the self-assembled nanoparticle and the saccharide density on its surface can be varied.
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