Research Assistant
Kolthoff Hall, University Of Minnesota (Twin Cities)
I worked on synthesizing and characterizing cationic β-cyclodextrin-pentaethylenehexamine glycopolymers with different end groups to compare polyplex formation and transfection efficiency. β-cyclodextrin was synthesized with octyl, carboxyl, benzene, alkynly-pentaethylenehexamine, azido-β-cyclodextrin, and pentaethylenehexamine end groups, in collaboration with Will Boyle. Through my participation in the project, I have acquired sufficient background knowledge on the development of novel polymers for cellular delivery of siRNA and pDNA, the design of new polymer-basenanoparticles. Furthermore, I learned the necessary skills required to be in synthesis, polymer, and biological characterization labs. I have personal interest in elucidating how chemical structures of polymers affect toxicity, gene delivery efficiency, and mechanisms of gene delivery. The objectives of the ongoing β-cyclodextrin study have been 1) polyplex formation and characterization, 2) uptake and transfection, 3) confocal microscopy, 4) ex vivo transfection efficiency, 5) in vivo transfection, and 6) trends in the transfection efficiency of different types of end groups in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo. Conclusions drawn from varying the end functionalization of these polymers could have implications for design of future gene delivery vehicles and potential new treatment plans for Epidermolysis bullosa, Hematopoietic stem cells, Hepatocellular carcinoma, and other diseases.