Designing Dendrimers

Research on dendrimers has exploded in the last 15 years, moving from the establishment of synthetic methodologies, particularly in the early years up to the end of nineties, towards sophisticated and wide-ranging applications. Dendrimers play an important role in many different areas, spanning from basic synthetic approaches to artificial photosynthesis, to medicine, to catalysis. The great potential of dendrimers is well-recognized by the hundreds of papers in the field and the increasing number of patents, and stimulated developments in other areas of knowledge, including new characterization techniques. However, some basic principles and methods still continue to give a unity to the field. Although several books on dendrimers have been published during these 15 years, the very recent progresses in new areas now requires a new point of view, trying to give a unifying and comprehensive outlook of the field. Since the first dendrimer was synthesized by Vögtle in 1978, dendrimers have experienced an explosion of scientific interest because of their unique molecular architecture. This resulted in over 5,000 scientific papers and patents published by the end of 2005. The proposed book will cover both fundamental and applicative aspects of dendrimer research. Chapters devoted to basic principles, synthetic methods and strategies, and advanced characterization techniques will be integrated by chapters illustrating the full potential of dendrimers in various fields, like artificial photosynthesis, multi-redox pool systems, diagnostics, biomedical and sensing purposes, design of functional nanostructures. Particular emphasis will be devoted to possible future developments.

Following the first two volumes "Dendrimers" (TCC vol. 197) and "Dendrimers II" (TCC vol. 210), the third volume dealing with this topic is now appearing in print (the "tetralogy" on dendrimers will soon be completed with the fourth volume). The present volume comprises a collection of up-to-date reviews written by renowned pioneers of research in the dendrimer field, three of whom lectured at the 1. International Dendrimer Symposium (IDS-1 1999) in Frankfurt. A focus of this volume is the variety of material properties of soft and shape-persistent dendrimers. As its predecessors did, this volume breaks through the frontiers to neighboring disciplines and, in an interdisciplinary approach, addresses topics such as polydisperse, hyperbranched macromolecules (dendritic polymers), the analysis of shape and density by small-angle scattering techniques, finely dispersed metals (dendrimers as catalysts), and nanotechnology close to potential applications.

Covers dendrimer advance and future opportunity in nanomedicine with safety and efficacy in development of products Presents overview of recent progress in the field, its advances and bottlenecks, will help researchers to get a general insight of dendrimers applications Provides comprehensive overview of latest research efforts in designing, optimizing, development, scale up of dendrimers mediated delivery systems

The opportunities and challenges of using dendrimers to improve drug delivery Among pharmaceutical and biomedical researchers, the use of dendrimers in drug delivery systems has attracted increasing interest. In particular, researchers have noted that the volume of a dendrimer increases when it has a positive charge. If this property can be applied effectively, dendrimers have enormous potential in drug delivery systems, directly supplying medication to targeted human organs. With contributions from an international team of pioneers and experts in dendrimer research, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research efforts in designing and optimizing dendrimer-based drug delivery systems. The book analyzes key issues, demonstrating the critical connections that link fundamental concepts, design, synthesis, analytical methodology, and biological assessment to the practical use of dendrimers in drug delivery applications. Topics covered include: Dendrimer history Synthesis Physicochemical properties Principles of drug delivery Applications in diverse biomedical fields Dendrimer-Based Drug Delivery Systems reflects the authors' thorough review and analysis of the current literature as well as their own firsthand experience in the lab. Readers will not only discover the current state of the science, but also gain valuable insights into fruitful directions for future research. References at the end of each chapter serve as a gateway to the growing body of literature in the field, enabling readers to explore each individual topic in greater depth. Pharmaceutical and biomedical researchers will find this book a unique and essential guide to the opportunities, issues, and challenges involved in fully exploiting the potential of dendrimers to improve drug delivery.

Following the first two volumes "Dendrimers" (TCC vol. 197) and "Dendrimers II" (TCC vol. 210), the third volume dealing with this topic is now appearing in print (the "tetralogy" on dendrimers will soon be completed with the fourth volume). The present volume comprises a collection of up-to-date reviews written by renowned pioneers of research in the dendrimer field, three of whom lectured at the 1. International Dendrimer Symposium (IDS-1 1999) in Frankfurt. A focus of this volume is the variety of material properties of soft and shape-persistent dendrimers. As its predecessors did, this volume breaks through the frontiers to neighboring disciplines and, in an interdisciplinary approach, addresses topics such as polydisperse, hyperbranched macromolecules (dendritic polymers), the analysis of shape and density by small-angle scattering techniques, finely dispersed metals (dendrimers as catalysts), and nanotechnology close to potential applications.

Dendrimer science has exploded onto the polymer science scene as the fourth major class of polymer architecture. Capturing the history of dendrimer discovery to the present day, this book addresses all the essential information for newcomers and those experienced in the field, including: • Fundamental theory, chemistry and physics of the 'dendritic state' • Synthetic strategies (click chemistry, self-assembly, and so on) • Dendron/dendrimer characterization techniques • Architecturally driven 'dendritic effects' • Developments in scientific and commercial applications • Convergence with nanotechnology, including dendrimer-based nanodevices, nanomaterials, nanotoxicology and nanomedicine • Dendrimers as a window to a new nano-periodic system. Including first-hand accounts from pre-1995 pioneers, progress in the dendrimer field is brought to life with anticipated developments for the future. This is the ideal book for researchers in both academia and industry who need a complete introduction to the 'dendritic state' with a special focus on dendrimer and dendron polymer science.

Nanomedicine can take advantage of the recent developments in nanobiotechnology research for the creation of platforms with superior drug carrier capabilities, selective responsiveness to the environment, unique contrast enhancement profiles, and improved accumulation at the disease site. This book provides a broad glimpse of how various dendritic nanomaterials have been designed and used as efficient tools for nanomedicine. It comprises a pedagogic introduction to dendrimers and hyperbranched systems and their classical and accelerated syntheses through cutting-edge methodologies. The chapters on dendronized magnetic nanoparticles as theranostics, dendrimers in theory (molecular simulations), siRNA delivery with dendrimers, and dendrimers for image-guided therapy, combined with chapters focused on specific types of dendrimers or hyperbranched structures, detail the cutting-edge research in nanomedicine. Finally, a detailed chapter on issues related to the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of dendrimers helps choose the right structures for successful transfer from bench to bedside. This book will appeal to those involved in nanobiotechnology, macromolecular science, cancer therapy, tissue repair, and siRNA delivery research.

This valuable new book offers a new perspective on dendrimers that bridges the gap between basic research and applied nanomedicine. It explores the ultimate effectiveness of dendrimers in theranostics, a promising field that combines therapeutics and diagnostics into single multifunctional formulations used to affect therapy or treatment of a disease state. The authors examine the potential uses of dendrimers, which have proven their capabilities in local/systemic drug delivery, physical stabilization of the drug, solubility enhancement of the poorly soluble drugs, and gene delivery.