Boronic Acid Ester Chemistry for pH-Response Polymer Mediated Oligonucleotide Delivery (C03)

• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 551403841

Project C03 “Boronic Acid Ester Chemistry for pH-Response Polymer Mediated Oligonucleotide Delivery” is focused on exploiting boronic acid ester chemistry for the delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides by developing nanocarriers that incorporate multiple boronic acid (BA) groups in biodegradable polymer nanogels. The project develops the synthesis of block copolymers functionalized with BA or salicylhydroxamic (SHA), examining their ability to form nanoparticles and encapsulate nucleic acids. It also involves designing nucleic acids modified with multiple BA or SHA groups to optimize stability, release efficiency, and loading capacity.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1762: Boron as property-determining element
• Applicant Institution: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Lutz Nuhn, Ph.D.; Dr. Takumi Okuda