Langer R
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA.
Ann Biomed Eng. 1995 Mar-Apr;23(2):101-11. doi: 10.1007/BF02368317.
This paper reviews three areas of the author's research. The first area concerns the development of technologies to release macromolecules continuously from solid polymers. By embedding solid protein (or other macromolecule) powders at the correct concentration in hydrophobic polymers, prolonged release for over 100 days can be achieved. The second area involves the synthesis of new biodegradable polymers specifically designed for drug delivery. A novel family of polymers, polyanhydrides, now being explored in a number of medical applications is examined. The use of these polymers to deliver chemotherapeutic agents locally may provide a new approach to treat brain cancer. The final research topic is in the area of tissue engineering. By placing mammalian cells on biodegradable polymer scaffolds, a variety of tissues have been created in animal models. Cartilage is discussed as a model tissue.
本文回顾了作者研究的三个领域。第一个领域涉及从固体聚合物中持续释放大分子的技术开发。通过将固体蛋白质（或其他大分子）粉末以正确的浓度嵌入疏水性聚合物中，可以实现长达100多天的持续释放。第二个领域涉及专门为药物递送设计的新型可生物降解聚合物的合成。研究了一类新型聚合物——聚酸酐，目前正在许多医学应用中进行探索。使用这些聚合物局部递送化疗药物可能为治疗脑癌提供一种新方法。最后的研究课题是组织工程领域。通过将哺乳动物细胞放置在可生物降解的聚合物支架上，已经在动物模型中创建了多种组织。以软骨作为模型组织进行了讨论。
