Abstract
Polypeptides play a crucial role in areas like nanomedicine, where their biological function is governed by intricate structural features. Studying structure-activity relationships is essential to optimize polypeptide-conjugate designs, as minor structural changes can lead to unexpected yet highly effective biological outcomes. We have addressed traditional synthetic limitations by using controlled NCA polymerization and rigorous characterization, producing well-defined architectures. Post-polymerization modifications introduce various functional groups and orthogonal reactive sites, enabling a wide range of polypeptide configurations, such as diblock copolymers and star-shaped structures. These can self-assemble into supramolecular nanostructures with unique biological properties, including tissue specificity, subcellular targeting, and potential brain delivery. Through a bottom-up strategy and the strategic design of polymer-drug linkers, in vitro and in vivo assessments have shown these systems to be non-toxic, with enhanced cellular uptake and extended half-life and accumulation in specific tissues like lymph nodes, mitochondria, and the brain. These findings position our polypeptide-based nanosystems as promising therapeutics.
María J. Vicent
Professor María J. Vicent leads the Polymer Therapeutics Lab at the Príncipe Felipe Research Center (CIPF) since 2006 and became its Scientific Director and Cancer Program Coordinator in 2024. She also oversees the Screening Platform, part of the EU-OpenScreen infrastructure, and currently serves as president-elect of the Controlled Release Society (CRS). Additionally, she is Editor-in-Chief of Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. Her research focuses on designing innovative nanopharmaceuticals through Polymer Therapeutics to address unmet clinical needs in diagnostics and therapy. Her work has been supported by national and EU grants, including ERC-funded projects like MyNano, Polymmune, and Polybraint, as well as NanoPanTher and other public-private initiatives. María has received multiple accolades such as the Idea and Samyang awards and Women in Science honors. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (FNAI), the AIMBE College of Fellows (since 2019), and the CRS College of Fellows (since 2021). With over 155 peer-reviewed publications and 15 patents, her innovations have led to six technology licenses, one of which helped launch the spin-off Polypeptide Therapeutic Solutions S.L. in 2012. The company, rebranded as Curapath after its acquisition by Arcline in 2021, is now a leading CDMO with over 100 employees.
