UC San Diego

Cell-based therapies are gaining prominence in treating a wide variety of diseases and using synthetic polymers to manipulate these cells provides an opportunity to impart function that could not be achieved using solely genetic means. Herein, we describe the utility of functional block copolymers synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) that can insert directly into the cell membrane via the incorporation of long alkyl chains into a short polymer block leading to non-covalent, hydrophobic interactions with the lipid bilayer. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these polymers can be imbued with advanced functionalities. A photosensitizer was incorporated into these polymers to enable spatially controlled cell death by the localized generation of ¹ O₂ at the cell surface in response to red-light irradiation. In a broader context, we believe our polymer insertion strategy could be used as a general methodology to impart functionality onto cell-surfaces.