Alginate-Based Amphiphilic Block Copolymers as a Drug Codelivery Platform

Structured nanoassemblies are biomimetic structures that are enabling applications from nanomedicine to catalysis. One approach to achieve these spatially organized architectures is utilizing amphiphilic diblock copolymers with one or two macromolecular backbones that self-assemble in solution. To date, the impact of alternating backbone architectures on self-assembly and drug delivery is still an area of active research limited by the strategies used to synthesize these multiblock polymers. Here, we report self-assembling ABC-type alginate-based triblock copolymers with the backbones of three distinct biomaterials utilizing a facile conjugation approach. This "polymer mosaic" was synthesized by the covalent attachment of alginate with a PLA/PEG diblock copolymer. The combination of alginate, PEG, and PLA domains resulted in an amphiphilic copolymer that self-assembles into nanoparticles with a unique morphology of alginate domain compartmentalization. These particles serve as a versatile platform for co-encapsulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic small molecules, their spatiotemporal release, and show potential as a drug delivery system for combination therapy.