Volume 59, Issue 12 pp. 4729-4735
Research Article

Low-Fouling Fluoropolymers for Bioconjugation and In Vivo Tracking

Dr. Changkui Fu

Dr. Changkui Fu

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Dr. Baris Demir

Dr. Baris Demir

School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Sheilajen Alcantara

Sheilajen Alcantara

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Dr. Vinod Kumar

Dr. Vinod Kumar

School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Dr. Felicity Han

Dr. Felicity Han

School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Hannah G. Kelly

Hannah G. Kelly

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Xiao Tan

Xiao Tan

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Ye Yu

Ye Yu

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Weizhi Xu

Weizhi Xu

School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Dr. Jiacheng Zhao

Dr. Jiacheng Zhao

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Dr. Cheng Zhang

Dr. Cheng Zhang

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Dr. Hui Peng

Dr. Hui Peng

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Prof. Cyrille Boyer

Prof. Cyrille Boyer

Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN), School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW, 2052 Australia

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Prof. Trent M. Woodruff

Prof. Trent M. Woodruff

School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Prof. Stephen J. Kent

Prof. Stephen J. Kent

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Prof. Debra J. Searles

Prof. Debra J. Searles

School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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Prof. Andrew K. Whittaker

Corresponding Author

Prof. Andrew K. Whittaker

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072 Australia

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First published: 17 January 2020
Citations: 54

Graphical Abstract

Fluoropolymers that are water-soluble and low-fouling and have a high fluorine content demonstrate outstanding 19F magnetic resonance imaging sensitivity. They were used as self-trackable polymers for bioconjugation and in vivo tracking.

Abstract

The conjugation of hydrophilic low-fouling polymers to therapeutic molecules and particles is an effective approach to improving their aqueous stability, solubility, and pharmacokinetics. Recent concerns over the immunogenicity of poly(ethylene glycol) has highlighted the importance of identifying alternative low fouling polymers. Now, a new class of synthetic water-soluble homo-fluoropolymers are reported with a sulfoxide side-chain structure. The incorporation of fluorine enables direct imaging of the homopolymer by 19F MRI, negating the need for additional synthetic steps to attach an imaging moiety. These self-reporting fluoropolymers show outstanding imaging sensitivity and remarkable hydrophilicity, and as such are a new class of low-fouling polymer for bioconjugation and in vivo tracking.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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