EPISODE 7: Bright Polymers – Tracking Drug Delivery with Fluorescent PLGA Nanoparticles

Tracking drug delivery inside cells is a challenge when the drug carrier itself is invisible. In this episode, we discuss a breakthrough in polymer science: the creation of fluorescent poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles using a one-step, solvent-free dye-initiated polymerisation process.

By covalently attaching dyes (blue, green, or red) to every PLGA chain, these nanoparticles become intrinsically fluorescent—meaning their position can be accurately tracked inside cells and tissues, without the risk of dye leakage.

This study shows how these fluorescent PLGA nanoparticles behave in:

• Human THP-1 macrophages, where they were tracked using super-resolution microscopy.
• Live Caenorhabditis elegans, where their journey through the digestive tract was mapped.
• Drug delivery experiments, where the release of the anticancer drug doxorubicin was simultaneously tracked alongside the polymer carrier.

This innovation offers a powerful new tool for researchers studying drug delivery, vaccine carriers, and polymer biodistribution.

📖 Based on the research article:
"Facile Dye-Initiated Polymerization of Lactide–Glycolide Generates Highly Fluorescent Poly(lactic-co-glycolic Acid) for Enhanced Characterization of Cellular Delivery"
Mohammad A. Al-Natour, Mohamed D. Yousif, Robert Cavanagh, Amjad Abouselo, Edward A. Apebende, Amir Ghaemmaghami, Dong-Hyun Kim, Jonathan W. Aylott, Vincenzo Taresco, Veeren M. Chauhan & Cameron Alexander. Published in ACS Macro Letters (2020).
🔗 Read the full paper

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This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info:

🔗 www.veerenchauhan.com

📧 veeren.chauhan@nottingham.ac.uk