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Updated: May 12, 2026

Preparation of Thermoresponsive Nanostructured Surfaces for Tissue Engineering
Published on: March 1, 2016
A Strategic Blend of Stabilizing Polymers to Control Particle Surface Charge for Enhanced Mucus Transport and Cell
Corey A Stevens1,2, Boris Sevarika1,3, Brian K Wilson4
1Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Abstract:
Mucus layers, viscoelastic gels abundant in anionic mucin glycoproteins, obstruct therapeutic delivery across all mucosal surfaces. We found that strongly positively charged nanoparticles (NPs) rapidly adsorb a mucin protein corona in mucus, impeding cell binding and uptake. To overcome this, we developed mucus-evading, cell-adhesive (MECS) NPs with variable surface charge using Flash NanoPrecipitation, by blending a neutral poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) corona for mucus transport with a small amount, 5 wt%, of polycationic dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA) for increased cell targeting. In vitro experiments confirmed rapid mucus penetration and binding to epithelial cells by MECS NPs, suggesting a breakthrough in mucosal drug delivery.
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