PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of antiviral protein delivery system for agricultural protection

 

Fisheries require protection from viral diseases that can be devastating to the aquatic population. Researchers at Mahidol University used PLGA (AP059) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to develop microparticles for delivery of anti-viral protein. This research holds promise to help protect food-supply. Read more: Kriangsaksri, Ruttanaporn, Suparat Taengchaiyaphum, Pattaree Payomhom, Dararat Thaiue, Ornchuma Itsathitphaisarn, Kallaya Sritunyalucksana, and Kanlaya Prapainop Katewongsa. "Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) Microspheres Encapsulating a Viral-Binding Protein, PmRab7, for Preventing White Spot Syndrome Virus in Shrimp." ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering (2025). https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5c00928

“White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is one of the most devastating pathogens affecting shrimp. Within a short time, it leads to a hundred percent mortality rate, which causes substantial economic losses. PmRab7 has been reported to bind to the envelope protein of WSSV, VP28, resulting in a reduction of viral replication. In order to apply PmRab7 in shrimp feed, the development of delivery systems is crucial. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biodegradable polymer extensively studied for drug delivery in the form of nanoparticles or microspheres (MSs). Despite its potential, PLGA has not been previously reported for antiviral use in shrimp. This study is the first to demonstrate the potential use of PLGA and chitosan-coated PLGA (PLGA/CS) MSs for the delivery of PmRab7 in shrimp. Both PLGA and PLGA/CS were optimized and characterized to allow for a sustained release of encapsulated PmRab7. Initial in vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrated that both MSs are safe for use in shrimp, can sustain the release of PmRab7, and enhance its antiviral activity as shown by a decrease in the mortality rate in shrimp. The development of these MSs has the potential to significantly enhance disease control in shrimp aquaculture, leading to more effective and sustainable practices that will ultimately bolster the industry’s growth and long-term stability.”

PLGA (https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP059#h)
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PLGA-PEG-COOH from PolySciTech used in development of oral vaccine delivery

 

Delivery of vaccines by the oral pathway is complicated due to damage in the stomach and poor oral uptake. Researchers at University of Kansas used PLGA-PEG-COOH (AI166) and PLGA (AP121) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to develop nanoparticles for vaccine delivery. This research holds promise to provide for improved vaccine delivery. Read more: Xie, Jin, Xiaodi Li, Grahmm A. Funk, Su Jeong Song, Udita Shah, Connor S. Ahlquist, and Hyunjoon Kim. "Immunostimulatory Pickering emulsion for oral vaccine delivery." International Journal of Pharmaceutics (2025): 125890. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378517325007276

“To overcome gastric acid degradation and ensure robust immune activation, a novel Pickering emulsion stabilized by poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles was developed for the co-delivery of vaccine antigens and adjuvants via the oral route. Pickering emulsions, stabilized by solid particles, can enhance stability and protect antigens from gastric degradation. We encapsulated a TLR7/8 agonist R848 in PLGA nanoparticles and fabricated Pickering emulsions (R848-PLGA-NP@PE) to boost immune activation, and further prepared model antigen Ovalbumin (OVA) loaded Pickering emulsion formulation (R848-PLGA-NP@PE-OVA) to induce antigen-specific immune responses. R848-PLGA-NPs can improve vaccine efficacy by serving both as a stabilizer and an adjuvant, activating antigen-presenting cells (APCs). R848-PLGA-NP@PE-OVA exhibited a uniform particle size (245 nm), stable zeta potential (−40 mV), and high antigen encapsulation efficiency (>80 %), that were tested in Simulated Intestinal Fluid (SIF) and Simulated Gastric Fluid (SGF). R848-PLGA-NP@PE exhibited enhanced uptake by and activation of dendritic cells compared to control groups. In vivo, R848-PLGA-NP@PE significantly improved CD4 + T cell, CD8 + T cell, and NK cell activation. Notably, granzyme B expression in NK cells reached 2.1 times the level of the PBS group and 1.45 times that of the Free OVA + R848 group. The OVA-specific IgG level in the R848-PLGA-NP@PE-OVA group was approximately 3.9 times that of the PBS group and 2.5 times that of the free R848 + OVA group. Fecal OVA-specific IgA levels were significantly higher than control group. The combined data suggests that Pickering emulsions fabricated with PLGA-NPs are versatile oral vaccine delivery platforms to induce cellular and humoral immune responses.”

PLGA (https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP121#h)
PLGA-PEG-COOH (https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AI166#h)
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PVL from Akina used in research on polymer synthesis techniques

 

There are many ways polyesters can be synthesized. Researchers at Tsinghua University and Shandong University used polyvalerolactone (Cat# AP299) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to research novel techniques in polymerization. Read more: Wang, Jiale, Xu Yan, Shuang Zheng, Rou Wen, Yiling Chen, Weinan Yang, Junting Sheng, Qiong Wu, Fuqing Wu, and Guo-Qiang Chen. "Biosynthesis of poly (δ-valerolactone)(PVL) by Halomonas bluephagenesis." Chemical Engineering Journal (2025): 165410. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894725062461

“Microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are promising for wide applications including food and medical packaging, drug delivery systems, coatings and bone scaffolds. The diverse properties of PHA are dependent on the variety of hydroxy fatty acid monomers. Microbial synthesis of homopolymers has been challenging except for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). In this study, an engineered metabolic pathway in Halomonas bluephagenesis was constructed to produce poly(5-hydroxyvalerate) (P5HV) or poly(δ-valerolactone) (PVL). PHA synthase PhaCBP-MCPF4 (PhaCun) and 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase (AbfT) were identified as suitable for the artificial metabolic pathway. Deletion on the endogenous phaCAB for poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthesis was crucial to reduce 3-hydroxybutyric acid (3HB) monomer ratio in P(3HB-5HV) copolymer from 36% to 0.2% when expressing abfT and phaCun on plasmid pWJL55, or from 38% to 18% when expressing abfT and phaCun on genome. Additionally, deletion of the endogenous acyl-CoA thioesterase gene tesB enhanced 5HV molar ratio from 75% to 81% in P(3HB-5HV), as it removed the CoA moiety from 5HV-CoA. Subsequently, deletion of endogenous fadB gene encoding enoyl-CoA hydratase formed a near PVL homopolymer. The resulted H. bluephagenesis JL03 was grown to 23 g/L dry cell weight containing 58% PVL after 44 h cultivation in a 7-L bioreactor. The PVL exhibited better mechanical properties compared to chemically synthesized PVL, with an elongation at break of 521%, a Young’s modulus of 293 MPa, and a higher molecular weight of 149 kDa.”

PVL (AP299) (https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP299#h)
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PEG-PLGA and PLGA-fluorescent products used in development of immunotherapy delivery system.

 

Immunotherapy is the process by which the body’s own immune response is utilized to attack cancer cells. Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center used mPEG-PLGA (AK104), PLGA-Rhodamine (AV027), and PLGA-CY5 (AV034) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to develop nanoparticles for immunotherapy delivery. This research holds promise to improve treatment against cancer. Read more: Au, Kin Man, Siqing Li, Tian Zhang, and Andrew Z. Wang. "Biologically targeted dual adaptive and innate nano-Immunotherapy for clear cell renal cell carcinoma treatment." Molecular Cancer 24, no. 1 (2025): 1-28. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12943-025-02382-y

“Immunotherapy treatments have significantly improved metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treatment outcomes. Despite recent advancements, the rates of durable response to immunotherapy remain low, and the toxicity profiles of treatment continue to be high. To address these challenges, we report the development of a human carbonic anhydrase-IX (hCA-9)-targeted multifunctional immunotherapy nanoparticles (MINPs) aimed at improving treatment efficacy and reducing toxicity. We hypothesized that these MINPs will facilitate the recognition and elimination of hCA-9-expressing tumor cells by both adaptive immune cells (cytotoxic CD8+ T cells) and innate immune cells (natural killer (NK) cells). Non-targeted and hCA-9-targeted MINPs were prepared by conjugating anti-CA-9, anti-4-1BB, and anti-CD27 antibodies to poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) diblock copolymer NPs. The abilities of different MINPs in activating CD8+ T cells, NK cells, and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs) were assessed. In vivo efficacy and mechanistic studies were conducted to evaluate the anticancer activities of different MINPs in immunocompetent hCA-9-transfected mouse RCC tumor models and human ccRCC xenograft models using humanized mice. We also investigated the impact of aging on anticancer efficacy of hCA-9-targeted MINPs in humanized mice. The immune-related side effects associated with the systemic administration of hCA-9-targeted MINPs were characterized. Human CA-9-targeted multifunctionalized immunotherapy NPs (MINPs) functionalized with anti-CA-9, anti-4-1BB, and anti-CD27 antibodies outperformed hCA-9-targeted bifunctionalized immunotherapy NPs (BINPs), non-targeted BINPs, and the combination of free antibodies in activating mouse CD8+ T cells and NK cells to kill hCA-9-expressing RCC cells in vitro. In vivo correlative study confirmed that tumor targeting and effective spatiotemporal coactivation of the 4-1BB and CD27 pathways in CD8+ T cells and NK cells are essential for robust antitumor activity. Furthermore, hCA-9-targeted MINPs, but not the combination of free antibodies, inhibited the growth of human ccRCC in hPBMC-humanized mouse models. The anticancer activity of MINPs in mice humanized with hPBMCs from older donors was slightly weaker than in those humanized with younger donors. More importantly, the MINP formulation effectively prevented the hepatotoxicity associated with the systemic administration of immune checkpoint agonistic antibodies. This study demonstrates that MINPs are a versatile platform capable of facilitating immune cell engagement and the eradication of targeted ccRCC without causing systemic immune-related side effects.”

mPEG-PLGA (AK104) (https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AK104#h)

PLGA-Rhodamine (AV027) (https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AV027#h)

PLGA-CY5 (AV034) (https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AV034#h)

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Fluorescently labelled chitosan from PolySciTech used in research on hydrogels.

 

Hydrogels are hydrated polymer networks useful for a wide range of biomedical applications. Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and University of Pittsburgh used chitosan derivatives (KITO-1, KITO-9, and KITO-11) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to research topological adhesion based hydrogels. This research holds promise to provide for a wide range of biomedical applications.Read more: Sun, Jiatai, Qihan Liu, and Jiawei Yang. "Mixing Polymers and Polymer Networks for Topological Adhesion." Available at SSRN 5293526. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5293526

“Adhesion between polymer networks is important for a wide range of medical applications. Established adhesion methods mostly focus on the chemistry design of interfacial bonds to connect two polymer networks. By contrast, a recently developed adhesion method, called topological adhesion, uses stitch polymers to diffuse into two polymer networks and gelate to a new polymer network that connects them through topological entanglement. The prerequisite of topological adhesion is the mixing of stitch polymers and polymer networks. Understanding the mixing process and conditions will guide the design of topological adhesion systems to meet diverse adhesion requirements and situations. In this paper, we combine theoretical modeling and experiments to study the mixing of polymers with polymer networks. The theoretical model is set up as mixing stitch polymers with an in-plane constrained polymer network to replicate the mixing process of topological adhesion. We take a thermodynamic approach to develop the model and determine the concentration of mixing polymers under various material parameters of polymers and polymer networks. We first study two limiting cases in which the stitch polymer is one monomeric size and infinite size. We then provide a set of results on the general mixing cases. We further conduct experiments by immersing in-plane constrained hydrogels in fluorescence-labeled polymer solutions and characterizing the mixing concentration. The experiment results agree well with the theoretical prediction, except for cases with extremely low polymer concentrations. We finally discuss the design guidelines for enhancing the mixing of polymers and polymer networks for topological adhesion. Keywords: Topological adhesion, polymer, hydrogel, mixing”

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PLGA-PEG-biotin from PolySciTech used in testing of serum protein attachment to nanoparticles

 

A powerful tool is the ability for nanoparticles to specifically bind to receptors in-vivo for drug delivery. Researchers at University of Toronto, Imperial College of London, University of Washington, California Institute of Technology, and University of Waterloo used PLGA-PEG-Biotin (Cat# AI167) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to develop nanoparticles and test these along with many other configurations to determine the impact of serum binding. This research holds promise to improve drug delivery techniques in the future. Read more: Stordy, Benjamin P., Zahra Sepahi, Gabriel D. Patrón, Wei Yang, Alexander D. Goodson, Colin Blackadar, Anthony J. Tavares et al. "The Binding Affinities of Serum Proteins to Nanoparticles." Journal of the American Chemical Society (2025). https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.5c02576



“Nanoparticles can be coated with targeting ligands to deliver medical agents to specific cells. Serum protein adsorption affects the binding of nanoparticles to target cells. We hypothesized that serum proteins and target receptors compete for binding to nanoparticles. We tested the serum protein binding affinity of 251 nanoparticle designs. Here, we discovered that the binding affinities of serum proteins and receptors to a nanoparticle determine whether it can bind to target cells. We developed and validated a quantitative metric, the binding ratio, to identify nanoparticle designs that can bind to targets in serum with 90% sensitivity and 88% specificity. Using the binding ratio as a numerical guideline for nanoparticle design enabled us to improve the efficiency of nanoparticle binding to target cellular receptors.”

PLGA-PEG-Biotin (Cat# AI167): https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AI167#h

Akina, Inc. launches new GMP manufacturing service available to outside customers https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

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PCL from PolySciTech used in microparticles for delivery of psoralen to treat arthritis

 

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a degenerative joint disease caused by the breakdown of cartilage. Researchers at China Three Gorges University used PCL (cat# AP257) from PolySciTech Division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to develop microparticles to deliver psoralen to joints for arthritis treatment. Read more: Wang, Yanhua, Lixian Zhu, Zhijie Gao, Tengyue Zhang, Hechao Zhao, and Dexian Zeng. "Psoralen-Loaded Polycaprolactone Microspheres: A Ph-Responsive Drug Carrier for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis." Available at SSRN 5277165. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5277165

“Developing novel drug carriers for delivery of psoralen (PSO) is crucial to inhibit the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The goal of this work is to develop PSO-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres through a single emulsion solvent evaporation route, helping to release drug in a controllable manner and thereby improve its bioavailability. The resulting PCL@PSO microspheres are characterized by multiple physicochemical techniques. Results exhibit the loading of PSO into PCL increases the size and specific surface area. Also, the encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of PCL@PSO microspheres are (87.77 ± 0.07)% and (12.28 ± 0.01)%, respectively. Release experiments show such microspheres exhibit pH-responsive drug kinetics, predominantly releasing PSO in alkaline environments in contrast with neutral or acidic conditions. This release pattern is conducive to inhibit inflammatory response whilst promote osteanagenesis in bone microenvironment. Cell experiments demonstrate PCL@PSO microspheres are cytocompatible with BMSCs cell but strongly toxic to RBL-2H3 cell. Mechanistically, mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, as evidenced by the up-regulation of pro-apoptosis proteins such as Caspase3, Cyto-c and Bax, is activated by PCL@PSO via increased ROS and reduced mitochondria membrane potentials. Further, the up-regulation of APC and LATS1 and the down-regulation of OIP5 are contributed to RBL-2H3 cell apoptosis. Moreover, PCL@PSO could down-regulate histamine receptor HRH1 expression in RBL-2H3 cell, thereby inhibiting inflammation expansion. Conclusively, it is feasible to use PCL@PSO microspheres as candidate micro-carriers to deliver PSO, terminally benefitting to inhibit inflammatory response whilst promote osteanagenesis, especially for individuals suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. Keywords: PCL, PSO, Drug delivery, disease therapy”

PCL (Cat# AP257): https://akinainc.com/polyscitech/products/polyvivo/index.php?highlight=AP257#h

Akina, Inc. launches new GMP manufacturing service available to outside customers https://www.akinainc.com/midwestgmp/

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