BIODEGRADABLE BLOCK POLYMERS FOR DRUG DELIVERY, AND METHODS RELATED THERETO

摘要

A biodegradable block copolymer is disclosed, comprising a hydrophilic block derived from a polyether alcohol; and a hydrophobic block comprising a first repeat unit derived by ring opening polymerization of a first cyclic carbonyl monomer initiated by the polyether alcohol, the first repeat unit comprising a side chain moiety comprising a functional group selected from the group consisting of i) urea groups and ii) mixtures of urea groups and carboxylic acid groups. No side chain of the hydrophobic block comprises a covalently bound biologically active material. The block copolymer self-assembles in water forming micelles suitable for sequestering a biologically active material by a non-covalent interaction, and the block copolymer is 60% biodegraded within 180 days in accordance with ASTM D6400.