Review on Medusa:a polymer-based sustained release technology for protein and peptide drugs.

The polymer-based Medusa system (Flamel Technologies) has been designed for slow release of therapeutic proteins and peptides. The Medusa II consists of a poly L-glutamate backbone grafted with hydrophobic alpha-tocopherol molecules, creating a colloidal suspension of nanoparticles (10 - 50 nm) in water. The sustained drug release is based on reversible drug interactions with hydrophobic nanodomains within the nanoparticles. In vivo, it is suggested that the therapeutic protein is displaced by endogenous proteins present in physiological fluids, leading to a slow drug release. The peak concentration is dramatically decreased and the protein release substantially extended. The Medusa technology has been applied to subcutaneous injection for several therapeutic proteins, such as IL-2 and IFN-alpha(2b), in animal models (rats, dogs, monkeys) and clinical trials in renal cancer (IL-2) and hepatitis C (IFN-alpha(2b)) patients.

Macromolecular Colloids of Diblock Poly(amino acids) That Bind Insulin.

The diblock polymer poly(l-leucine-block-l-glutamate), bLE, was synthesized by acid hydrolysis of the ester poly(l-leucine-block-l-methyl glutamate). During the hydrolysis reaction the leucine block precipitates from the reaction mixture, forming nanosized particulate structures. These particles can be purified and further suspended in water or in 0.15 M phosphate saline buffer (PBS) to give stable, colloidal dispersions. TEM analysis shows the predominant particle form to be that of platelets with a diameter of 200 nm. Smaller cylindrical or spherical particles form a relatively minor fraction of the sample. After fractionation, analysis shows the platelets to be compositionally rich in leucine, while the spheres are glutamate-rich. (1)H NMR, CD, and X-ray diffraction indicate that the core of the platelets is composed of crystalline, helical leucine segments. The poly(l-glutamate) polyelectrolyte brush extending out from the two faces of the disk stabilizes individual particles from flocculation. At pH 7.4, the nanoparticles (platelets and cylinders) spontaneously adsorb proteins, such as insulin, directly from solution. Partial desorption of the protein in its native configuration can be induced by simple dilution. The reversibility of the insulin-nanoparticle complex is the basis for a potential new delivery system. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Experimental results of second-harmonic generation from a polyurethane waveguide on a silver grating coupler.

Second-harmonic generation by excitation of guided modes and the surface plasmon in a polyurethane-coated silver grating coupler is presented. In order to study the spectral dependence of the second-harmonic efficiency, two different pump wavelengths are used, 1064 and 1319 nm. For the longer-wavelength pump we observe a large enhancement of the second-harmonic efficiency as the incident angle is scanned through an electromagnetic resonance, whereas for the shorter-wavelength pump the second-harmonic wavelength falls within the absorption band of the polymer, and we observe unexpected minima instead of maxima.