Biodegradable multiblock copolymers for drug delivery applications

Abstract

With rapid advances in genomic research and biotechnology, an increasing number of pharmaceutical proteins and peptides become available for a variety of diseases. However, the efficient delivery of these drugs is hampered by their large size and (biological) instability. Consequently, to obtain a desired therapeutic effect, proteins and peptides are usually administered parenterally by repeated subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. To overcome the problem of patient compliance, extensive research is performed on the development of controlled release systems