Kyle E. Broaders

Acetal-Derivatized Dextran: An Acid-Responsive Biodegradable Material for Therapeutic Applications

Dextran, a biocompatible, water-soluble polysaccharide, was modified at its hydroxyls with acetal moieties such that it became insoluble in water but freely soluble in common organic solvents enabling its use in the facile preparation of acid-sensitive microparticles. These particles degrade in a pH-dependent manner: FITC-dextran was released with a half-life at 37 degrees C of 10 h at pH 5.0 compared to a half-life of approximately 15 days at pH 7.4. Both hydrophobic and hydrophilic cargoes were successfully loaded into these particles using single and double emulsion techniques, respectively. When used in a model vaccine application, particles loaded with the protein ovalbumin (OVA) increased the presentation of OVA-derived peptides to CD8+ T-cells 16-fold relative to OVA alone. Additionally, this dextran derivative was found to be nontoxic in preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity assays. Owing to its ease of preparation, processability, pH-sensitivity, and biocompatibility, this type of modified dextran should find use in numerous drug delivery applications.

A Biocompatible Oxidation-Triggered Carrier Polymer with Potential in Therapeutics

Dextran, a water-soluble, biocompatible polymer of glucose, was modified at its hydroxyls with arylboronic esters to make it soluble in common organic solvents, allowing for the facile preparation of oxidation-sensitive dextran (Oxi-DEX) carrier microparticles. These particles were found to release their payload with a half-life of 36 min at 1 mM H2O2, which can be compared with a half-life of greater than 1 week in the absence of H2O2. When used in a model vaccine application, Oxi-DEX particles loaded with ovalbumin (OVA) increased the presentation to CD8+ T-cells 27-fold relative to OVA encapsulated in a classical vehicle not sensitive to oxidation. No presentation was observed from cells incubated with unencapsulated OVA. Additionally, Oxi-DEX was found to be nontoxic in preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity assays. Because it is easy to prepare, sensitive to biological oxidation, and biocompatible, this material may represent an attractive new platform for selective delivery applications.

Acetalated dextran is a chemically and biologically tunable material for particulate immunotherapy

Materials that combine facile synthesis, simple tuning of degradation rate, processability, and biocompatibility are in high demand for use in biomedical applications. We report on acetalated dextran, a biocompatible material that can be formed into microparticles with degradation rates that are tunable over 2 orders of magnitude depending on the degree and type of acetal modification. Varying the degradation rate produces particles that perform better than poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and iron oxide, two commonly studied materials used for particulate immunotherapy, in major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and MHC II presentation assays. Modulating the material properties leads to antigen presentation on MHC I via pathways that are dependent or independent of the transporter associated with antigen processing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only example of a material that can be tuned to operate on different immunological pathways while maximizing immunological presentation.

In Vitro Analysis of Acetalated Dextran Microparticles as a Potent Delivery Platform for Vaccine Adjuvants

Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists induce potent innate immune responses and can be used in the development of novel vaccine adjuvants. However, access to TLRs can be challenging as exemplified by TLR 7, which is located intracellularly in endosomal compartments. To increase recognition and subsequent stimulatory effects of TLR 7, imiquimod was encapsulated in acetalated dextran (Ac-DEX) microparticles. Ac-DEX, a water-insoluble and biocompatible polymer, is relatively stable at pH 7.4, but degrades rapidly under acidic conditions, such as those found in lysosomal vesicles. To determine the immunostimulatory capacity of encapsulated imiquimod, we compared the efficacy of free versus encapsulated imiquimod in activating RAW 264.7 macrophages, MH-S macrophages, and bone marrow derived dendritic cells. Encapsulated imiquimod significantly increased IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha cytokine expression in macrophages relative to the free drug. Furthermore, significant increases were observed in classic macrophage activation markers (iNOS, PD1-L1, and NO) after treatment with encapsulated imiquimod over the free drug. Also, bone marrow derived dendritic cells produced significantly higher levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-12p70, and MIP-1 alpha as compared to their counterparts receiving free imiquimod. These results suggest that encapsulation of TLR ligands within Ac-DEX microparticles results in increased immunostimulation and potentially better protection from disease when used in conjunction with vaccine formulations.

Acetal-modified dextran microparticles with controlled degradation kinetics and surface functionality for gene delivery in phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells.

Controlled intracellular delivery of genetic material for vaccine or other therapeutic applications in vivo remains a major challenge for non-viral delivery systems.[1,2] As an alternative to cationic polymers and lipids commonly used to form nano-scale complexes for in vitro plasmid transfection,[3–6] microparticles made from biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and acid-sensitive poly(ortho esters) (POEs) and hydrogels have been pursued as in vivo plasmid DNA carriers.[6–9] Due to their size (typically 1–10 μm), these particles passively target phagocytic antigen presenting cells (APCs) of the immune system for DNA vaccine applications.[8] In addition, these particles may alleviate the shortcomings of cationic polymers and lipids with regard to in vivo targeting, toxicity, and stability.[3] Despite their promise, microparticulate delivery systems explored to date often suffer from uncontrolled initial burst release of upwards of 50% of the encapsulated plasmid, independent of any built-in triggered-release mechanism, making it difficult to achieve rapid yet controlled release in response to a specific stimulus.[10] Furthermore, there have been few reports to date of attempts to extend the application of these systems to target non-phagocytic cells, which are present in much greater quantity throughout the body. Herein we report a tunable and modular microparticle system for plasmid delivery that, we hypothesized, would overcome these problems and simultaneously allow the systematic study of the dependence of transfection efficiency on various formulation parameters including degradation kinetics, use of cationic blend polymers, and surface functionalization for the transfection of non-phagocytic cells.

Chemically programmed cell adhesion with membrane-anchored oligonucleotides

Cell adhesion organizes the structures of tissues and mediates their mechanical, chemical, and electrical integration with their surroundings. Here, we describe a strategy for chemically controlling cell adhesion using membrane-anchored single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides. The reagents are pure chemical species prepared from phosphoramidites synthesized in a single chemical step from commercially available starting materials. The approach enables rapid, efficient, and tunable cell adhesion, independent of proteins or glycans, by facilitating interactions with complementary labeled surfaces or other cells. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by imaging drug-induced changes in the membrane dynamics of non-adherent human cells that are chemically immobilized on a passivated glass surface.

Formation of targeted monovalent quantum dots by steric exclusion

Precise control over interfacial chemistry between nanoparticles and other materials remains a significant challenge limiting the broad application of nanotechnology in biology. To address this challenge, we use “Steric Exclusion” to completely convert commercial quantum dots (QDs) into monovalent imaging probes by wrapping the QD with a functionalized oligonucleotide. We demonstrate the utility of these QDs as modular and non-perturbing imaging probes by tracking individual Notch receptors on live cells.

Mannosylated dextran nanoparticles: a pH-sensitive system engineered for immunomodulation through mannose targeting.

Biotherapeutic delivery is a rapidly growing field in need of new materials that are easy to modify, are biocompatible, and provide for triggered release of their encapsulated cargo. Herein, we report on a particulate system made of a polysaccharide-based pH-sensitive material that can be efficiently modified to display mannose-based ligands of cell-surface receptors. These ligands are beneficial for antigen delivery, as they enhance internalization and activation of APCs, and are thus capable of modulating immune responses. When compared to unmodified particles or particles modified with a nonspecific sugar residue used in the delivery of antigens to dendritic cells (DCs), the mannosylated particles exhibited enhanced antigen presentation in the context of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. This represents the first demonstration of a mannosylated particulate system that enables enhanced MHC I antigen presentation by DCs in vitro. Our readily functionalized pH-sensitive material may also open new avenues in the development of optimally modulated vaccine delivery systems.

Chemoselective ligation in the functionalization of polysaccharide-based particles.

Despite the promise of precisely targeted or otherwise functionalized polymeric particulate drug delivery vehicles, typical biocompatible particles are generally not amenable to facile and selective surface modification. Herein, we report the development of a simple, mild, and chemoselective strategy for the conjugation of biologically active molecules to the surface of dextran-based microparticles. Alkoxyamine-bearing reagents were used to form stable oxime conjugates with latent aldehyde functionality present in reducing carbohydrate chain ends. We demonstrate the functionalization of dextran-based microparticles with a fluorophore as well as a cell-penetrating peptide sequence, which facilitated the delivery of cargo to nonphagocytic cells leading to a 60-fold increase in the expression of a reporter gene when plasmid DNA-loaded particles were used.

Acid-degradable polyurethane particles for protein-based vaccines: biological evaluation and in vitro analysis of particle degradation products.

Acid-degradable particles containing a model protein antigen, ovalbumin, were prepared from a polyurethane with acetal moieties embedded throughout the polymer, and characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The small molecule degradation byproduct of the particles was synthesized and tested in vitro for toxicity indicating an LC 50 of 12,500 microg/mL. A new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique was developed to monitor the in vitro degradation of these particles. The degradation byproduct inside RAW macrophages was at its highest level after 24 h of culture and was efficiently exocytosed until it was no longer detectable after 4 days. When tested in vitro, these particles induced a substantial increase in the presentation of the immunodominant ovalbumin-derived peptide SIINFEKL in both macrophages and dendritic cells. In addition, vaccination with these particles generated a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response that was superior to both free ovalbumin and particles made from an analogous but slower-degrading acid-labile polyurethane polymer. Overall, we present a fully degradable polymer system with nontoxic byproducts, which may find use in various biomedical applications including protein-based vaccines.