Design and Application of Hybrid Polymer-Protein Systems in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Polymer-protein systems have excellent characteristics, such as non-toxic, non-irritating, good water solubility and biocompatibility, which makes them very appealing as cancer therapeutics agents. Inspiringly, they can achieve sustained release and targeted delivery of drugs, greatly improving the effect of cancer therapy and reducing side effects. However, many challenges, such as reducing the toxicity of materials, protecting the activities of proteins and controlling the release of proteins, still need to be overcome. In this review, the design of hybrid polymer–protein systems, including the selection of polymers and the bonding forms of polymer–protein systems, is presented. Meanwhile, vital considerations, including reaction conditions and the release of proteins in the design process, are addressed. Then, hybrid polymer–protein systems developed in the past decades for cancer therapy, including targeted therapy, gene therapy, phototherapy, immunotherapy and vaccine therapy, are summarized. Furthermore, challenges for the hybrid polymer–protein systems in cancer therapy are exemplified, and the perspectives of the field are covered.

Four-Component Statistical Copolymers by RAFT Polymerization

“…Random copolymers tend to self-organize in a way that mimics the solution behavior of proteins, raising significant scientific interest into the investigation of their properties' similarities. In fact, upward trends are also observed in studies concerning the encapsulation of proteins in such nanostructures or their co-assembly with polymer chains, showing promising results in biomedicine-and biotechnology-related applications [2,3].…”

Synthesis of Thermoresponsive Chitosan-graft-Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Hybrid Copolymer and Its Complexation with DNA

“…Gene therapy has gained popularity among scientists in recent decades as an alternative therapeutic strategy due to its numerous advantages over standard treatment methods [1][2][3]. The efficient transport of nucleic acids within the cells is heavily dependent on the deployment of a gene vector with the appropriate characteristics [4].…”