Branched or Cross-linked Poly(anhydride-co-imides) for
Peptide/Protein Release.

The ultimate goal of our project is to develop a monolith-type, polymer-drug matrix based on branched or cross-linked, amino acid containing polyanhydrides capable of releasing peptides and proteins at predictable rates for months to years after implantation.

The specific aims are: to synthesize branched or cross-linked poly(anhydride-co-imides) based on an amino acid-containing prepolymer and prepolymer of a spacer molecule, to formulate polymer-drug matrices based on the polymers synthesized and test peptides/proteins, to incubate these matrices in aqueous media and determine the polymer degradation/drug release rates, and to determine the immunoreactivity of the test proteins throughout the matrix formulation and incubation procedures.