mRNA-based therapeutics have emerged as an effective approach to treat diseases with known genetic targets like cancers, immune and infectious diseases, and neurological disorders. The success of mRNA therapy relies on the development of safe and effective delivery systems. One possible strategy is to use a polycation as a vector by complexing it with the mRNA. A key challenge is identifying a polymer capable of sufficiently complexing mRNA to protect it from enzymatic degradation, yet not so tightly that it prevents the release of the mRNA once it reaches its target, thereby ensuring therapeutic action.
The project aims at using a comb-shaped polyarginine developed by our team that exhibits thermoresponsive behavior to release the mRNA in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. The objective of the doctoral project will be to prepare monodisperse coacervates with a diameter of less than 200 nm. A study of the internal structure of these coacervates will be conducted to gain a better understanding of this system. As the project is a collaboration with Matthew Tirrell’s group, the doctoral student will be required to conduct experiments at the University of Chicago (USA).
