Microfluidic Synthesis of Biodegradable Polyethylene-Glycol
Microspheres for Controlled Delivery of Proteins and DNA Nanoparticles
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Abstract
Polymeric
microspheres represent an injectable platform for controlling
the release of a variety of biologics; microspheres may be combined
in a modular fashion to achieve temporal release of two or more biomolecules.
Microfluidics offers a versatile platform for synthesizing uniform
polymeric microspheres harboring a variety of biologics under relatively
mild conditions. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is a bioinert polymer
that can be easily tailored to encapsulate and control the release
of biologics. In this study, we report the microfluidic synthesis
of biodegradable PEG-based microparticles for controlled release of
growth factors or DNA nanoparticles. Simple changes in microfluidic
design increased the rate of microparticle formation and controlled
the size of the microspheres. Mesh size and degradation rate were
controlled by varying the PEG polymer weight percent from 7.5 to 15%
(w/v), thus tuning the release of growth factors and DNA nanoparticles,
which retained their bioactivity in assays of cell proliferation and
DNA transfection, respectively. This platform may provide a useful
tool for synthesizing microspheres for use as injectable carriers
to achieve coordinated growth-factor or DNA nanoparticle release in
therapeutic applications