| Project description |
| The development of nanomaterials for drug delivery is representative of innovative therapeutic modalities for safe, precise and effective treatment to cancer. Yet, the present achieved materials have their own inherent disadvantages: nanomicelles made from small molecules are lack of stability for clinic usage, whereas traditional polymers are stable but not easy to degrade in the body. Here, we will take up the long-standing challenge in the field and our principal objective is to develop stable, responsive and degradable anticancer nanomaterial. We will start the project by using small molecules that can organize into nanoball-like materials. To enhance their stability, we plan to use light to trigger a further chemical reaction between the small molecules, resulting in a polymer and enhancing their stability. Since the new chemical bonds can be only broken by a special molecule in cancer cells, this new type of materials will be used to selectively kill cancer cells. |