NPH partner scientist Dr. Tim Deming pioneered catalytic living polymerization methods for large scale, cost-effective synthesis of well-defined polypeptides. These synthetic polypeptides can be designed. In 1997, Dr. Deming and coworkers developed well-defined initiators that can polymerize amino acid derivatives. This chemical reaction adds amino acids to a growing polypeptide chain in batches. Deming reported a series of transition-metal complexes which could perform controlled polymerizations, yielding high molecular weight polypeptides. These improvements made possible the synthesis of mono-disperse, multi-block co-polypeptides. NPH believes that the synthetic co-polypeptide platform, pioneered by Dr. Deming, can enable the development of multiple commercially successful products.


Selected Publications

1. Yang, C. Y.; Song, B. B.; Ao, Y.; Nowak, A. P.; Abelowitz, R. B.; Korsak, R. A.; Havton, L. A.; Deming, T. J.; Sofroniew, M. V., Biocompatibility of amphiphilic diblock copolypeptide hydrogels in the central nervous system. Biomaterials 2009, 30 (15), 2881-2898.

2. Hanson, J. A.; Chang, C. B.; Graves, S. M.; Li, Z. B.; Mason, T. G.; Deming, T. J., Nanoscale double emulsions stabilized by single-component block copolypeptides. Nature 2008, 455 (7209), 85-U54.

3. Auguste, D. T.; Furman, K.; Wong, A.; Fuller, J.; Armes, S. R.; Deming, T. J.; Langer, R., Triggered release of siRNA from poly(ethylene glycol)-protected, pH-dependent liposomes. Journal of Controlled Release 2008, 130 (3), 266-274.

4. Holowka, E. P.; Sun, V. Z.; Kamei, D. T.; Deming, T. J., Polyarginine segments in block copolypeptides drive both vesicular assembly and intracellular delivery. Nature Materials 2007, 6 (1), 52-57.

5. Deming, T. J., Synthetic polypeptides for biomedical applications. Progress in Polymer Science 2007, 32 (8-9), 858-875.

6. Nowak, A. P.; Sato, J.; Breedveld, V.; Deming, T. J., Hydrogel formation in amphiphilic triblock copolypeptides. Supramolecular Chemistry 2006, 18 (5), 423-427.

7. Deming, T. J., Polypeptide and polypeptide hybrid copolymer synthesis via NCA polymerization. In Peptide Hybrid Polymers, 2006; Vol. 202, pp 1-18.