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Multifunctional Smart Injectable Triblock Copolymer Hydrogel for Highly Efficient Dual Drug-Gene Delivery in

Rishik Patra1, Satyajit Halder2,3, Rima Saha1

  • 1Gene Therapy and Tissue Engineering Lab, Department of Polymer Science and Technology, University of Calcutta, 92, A.P.C. Road, Kolkata 700009, India.

ACS Applied Bio Materials
|March 31, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Researchers developed a smart nanocarrier for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that delivers drugs and genes. This advanced system targets cancer cells using copper ions and responds to light, pH, and temperature for enhanced theranostics.

Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Polymer Chemistry

Background:

  • Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive and lacks targeted therapies.
  • Elevated intracellular Cu2+ ions are characteristic of TNBC.
  • Multifunctional nanocarriers offer a promising strategy for TNBC theranostics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer an injectable, triple-stimuli-responsive polymeric nanocarrier for TNBC theranostics.
  • To integrate light, pH, and temperature responsiveness with Cu2+ ion sensitivity.
  • To achieve dual drug-gene delivery and enable Cu2+-guided detection.

Main Methods:

  • Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization was used to synthesize an amphiphilic triblock copolymer.
  • The copolymer incorporated spiropyran (SP), hydroxyethyl methacrylate-glycine (HEMA-Gly), and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) units.
  • In vitro studies involved drug loading/release, cytotoxicity assays, cellular uptake imaging, ROS production analysis, and gene transfection efficiency tests.

Main Results:

  • The nanocarrier demonstrated controlled doxorubicin (DOX) release under acidic conditions.
  • Efficient cellular uptake and enhanced ROS production were observed in MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells.
  • The system showed high gene transfection efficiency and selective Cu2+ ion sensing via fluorescence quenching.

Conclusions:

  • The RAFT-synthesized triblock copolymer functions as a versatile theranostic platform for TNBC.
  • The nanocarrier enables simultaneous drug release, gene transfection, ROS induction, and Cu2+-guided detection.
  • This multifunctional platform shows promise for advanced TNBC diagnostics and combination therapy.
Keywords:
RAFT polymerizationdrug−gene co-deliveryinjectable hydrogel

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