Polymères biohybrides : comment tirer le meilleur du vivant et du synthétique ?

Résumé de l'intervention de Colin Bonduelle

From Proteins to Polymer Synthesis

Proteins are natural polymers that possess unique features that are not found in their synthetic counterparts. These include chemical diversity, hierarchical structure, specific chemical modification, programmed system dynamics, and other distinctive properties. When considered in conjunction with the potential for protein metabolism in living systems (e.g., biodegradation), these properties render proteins an especially promising candidate for the design of novel polymers in the future. It is notable that the most cost-effective and efficient method for synthesizing polypeptides is through a chemical process known as ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA). In comparison to proteins, peptidic polymers are relatively simple macromolecules, comprising statistically repeated amino acids. However, these polypeptides combine the advantageous features of synthetic polymers (solubility, processability, rubber elasticity, etc.) with those of natural proteins (secondary structure, functionality, biocompatibility, etc.). The field of polypeptide has seen significant advances in recent years, and this talk will demonstrate how these polymers are now well-suited for the design of advanced materials through three key examples: (1) the development of aqueous ROP of NCA, 2) the use of polypeptides in the preparation of smart systems, and 3) the potential of NCA copolymerization for sequence-simplified approaches.

Colin Bonduelle

Colin Bonduelle is a CNRS researcher working at the LCPO (Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques) at the University of Bordeaux. His research is focused on ring-opening polymerization and polypeptide synthesis. Currently, he is working on the design of protein-like polymers towards macromolecular therapeutics, nanomaterials/nanocomposites, and bioactive scaffolds. He has recently achieved methodologies for ring expansion that mimic antimicrobial peptides and developed aqueous ring-opening polymerization processes for polypeptide-based nanostructures.His research has already resulted in several patents and publications in major journals related to chemical sciences (JACS, Angewandte, Nature Communication, etc.). His contributions have been recognized with the CHP CNRS 2021 award and a patent-issued award from Worlddiscoveries in Canada in 2017.

Résumé de l'intervention de Hua Lu

Robust Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Polypeptides

Poly(amino acids), a.k.a. synthetic polypeptides, are important biomedical polymers, typically prepared by ring-opening polymerization of amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). In recent years, NCA chemistry has rapidly developed, with a plethora of new monomers and polymerization systems emerging. However, there remain significant challenges that have yet to be overcome to advance the field. The synthesis of NCA monomers usually requires strictly anhydrous conditions, and the side chain functional groups often need protection, which makes the monomer preparation, purification, and subsequent polymerization particularly challenging due to the high reactivity of the monomers. On the other hand, improvements are still needed in the molecular weight and functionalization of poly(amino acids), and the scale-up synthesis of some important functional poly(amino acids) has been slow. This report will focus on the current challenges in the synthesis and polymerization of NCA monomers, and will highlight several recent advancements in the field of NCA and poly(amino acid) chemistry by our research group. These include new methods for the synthesis of water-tolerant NCA monomers, water-assisted ultrafast controlled ring-opening polymerization of proline NCA, acid-catalyzed synthesis of ultra-high molecular weight polysarcosine, and machine learning-assisted high-throughput synthesis of functional seleno-containing poly(amino acids).

Hua Lu

Dr. Hua Lu is currently a Boya Distinguished Professor in the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University and has served as an Associate Editor for the ACS journal Biomacromolecules since 2020. He obtained his B.Sc. from Peking University in 2006 and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. After completing his Ph.D., he worked as a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute before starting his independent research as an assistant professor at Peking University in 2014. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2020 and to full professor in 2022. His research focuses on the development of methodologies for the controlled synthesis and medical applications of polypeptides, sustainable polymers, and protein-polymer conjugates. He is a recipient of the ACS PMSE Young Investigator (2020), the NSFC Distinguished Young Investigator Award (2021), the WuXi AppTech Scholar Award for Biological Chemistry Research (2022), and most recently, the 10th CCS-RSC Prize for Young Chemists (2023).