Background: This green polymerization methodology is applicable to other bioactives with carboxylic acid functional groups opening the door for synthesis of novel bioactive-containing polymers. Additionally polymer precursor synthesis also follows the Principle of green Chemistry to reduce toxicity and chemical waste. Technology Description: The need of green chemical processes and polymers are on the rise in both academia and industry. Rutgers scientists have designed and synthesized biodegradable polyesters using a commercially available lipase derived from fungus as catalyst. The hydrolytically degradable polymers are solely comprised of biocompatible components including naturally-occurring malic acid as the backbone non-toxic diol as the linker and bioactive as the pendant group. Ibuprofen which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to treat pain has been successfully incorporated as bioactive through this environmentally friendly approach in high yield. The polymers exhibit high drug loading and release ibuprofen in a sustained manner over a prolonged time period overcoming limitations of traditional ibuprofen delivery systems. Applications: Hydrolytically degradable polymers
1) A versatile platform for the synthesis of biodegradable polyesters containing bioactives 2) Non-toxic and biorenewable lipase catalyst used compared to traditional metal catalyst 3) Greener less volatile solvent or solvent-free reaction media 4) Applicable to a variety of bioactives 5) Tunable bioactive release profile 6) Safe degradation products