PolyTarget
Collaborative Research Center 1278 – Polymer-based nanoparticel libaries for targeted anti-inflammatory strategies

The goal of the Collaborative Research Center 1278 PolyTarget is to develop polymer-based, nanoparticulate carrier materials for pharmaceutically active ingredients for targeted therapy of diseases and syndromes, whose morbidity is characterized by an inflammatory reaction. With the aid of systematic particle libraries, structure-property relationships of polymers or nanoparticles and their biological effects are to be determined. New functional polymers are being developed to produce the nanoparticles. In order to increase the circulating time in the body and minimize unwanted interactions with proteins, the nanoparticles will be functionalized with so-called "stealth" polymers. Cell specificity is achieved by active or passive targeting, whereby the coupling of antibodies, peptides or other molecules with specific recognition structures plays a major role. Suitable dyes included in the carrier materials or covalently attached enable diagnostic approaches. Close cooperation between researchers from Chemistry, Materials Science, Biology, Pharmacy and Medicine offers unique prerequisites for transferring the findings from basic research into applications.