Session Speaker
Self-Assembled Gels for Anti-cancer Drug Delivery
Pall Thordarson, Katie W. K. Tong, Warren Truong, Li Yun Grace Lim, Yingying Su, Scott Jones, Ya-Na Wu and Filip Braet
Australia


Self-assembled or molecular gels are formed by small low-molecular weight organic gelators (LMOG) that self-assemble into a supramolecular polymer network that encapsulates the solvent in a solid-like state. Self-assembled gels can be classified as smart materials due to the reversible nature of the bonds that hold them together as shown in our recent work on a novel series of anion-sensitive pyromellitamide-based self-assembled gels. As the related and more commonly known (covalent) polymeric gels, self-assembled gels can be further sub-divided into organogels or hydrogels depending on the solvent used. Both polymeric and self-assembled gels are showing great promise for various medical applications, and their reversible nature makes them a particularly attractive target for tissue regeneration and targeted drug delivery. The key objective of our work in this field is to develop self-assembled hydrogel for targeted anti-cancer drug delivery. To realise this, we first need to address a number of important questions concerning the use of these novel materials in drug delivery, most importantly how self-assembled gels interact with living cells. Here, we will report on our most recent finding on these interactions, including the cytotoxicity and stability of self-assembled gels in the presence of biological media anc Caco-2 cancer cells as well as the ability of these materials to release cancer drugs such as 5-Fluorouracil, Paclitaxel (Taxol®) an Swinholide A in a controlled fashion.