Stein, Joshua: Synthesis of an Amphiphilic C70 Fullerene Derivative for Biomedical Applications
Title: Synthesis of an Amphiphilic C70 Fullerene Derivative for Biomedical Applications
Name: Joshua Stein
Major: Chemistry
School affiliation: School of Arts and Sciences
Programs: Aresty – Research or Conference Funding Recipient, Dept of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Other contributors: Yue Sun, Dr. Yanbang Li, Dr. Jianyuan(Jason) Zhang
Abstract: Hydrophobic drug delivery platforms have been an extensive area of study in previous years due to the emergence of new hydrophobic drugs including the widely used chemotherapy medication Paclitaxel. Such targeted delivery is difficult due to the aqueous environment of the human body, and the hydrophobic nature of the drug. In this work, progress towards a novel hydrophobic drug delivery platform is designed and discussed. The drug delivery platform includes selectively adding anilines that contains an alkyne to the top of a C70 cage. The alkyne would undergo a Copper Catalyzed Click Reaction with an azide to attach a water-soluble group. The C70 is then predicted to exhibit amphiphilic behavior by clumping together to create a hydrophobic pocket and a hydrophilic surface. The hydrophobic pocket can store and deliver drugs while the hydrophilic surface can interact with the aqueous environment of the human body, as well as interact with the targeted drug delivery site. This work has many applications towards new methods of developing hydrophobic drug delivery properties that can store and deliver hydrophobic drugs.