ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6559-5514
Current Organisation
University of Nottingham
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 13-12-2019
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.BIOMAC.8B01451
Abstract: Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) are involved in a wide range of biological processes such as cell proliferation and differentiation. In living organisms, the binding of FGF to its receptors are mediated through electrostatic interactions between FGF and naturally occurring heparin. Despite its prevalent use in medicine, heparin carries notable limitations namely, its extraction from natural sources (expensive, low yield and extensive purification), viral contamination, and batch-to-batch heterogeneity. In this work a range of synthetic homopolymers and copolymers of sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate were evaluated as potential FGF stabilizers. This was studied by measuring the proliferation of BaF3-FR1c cells, as a model assay, and the results will be compared with the natural stabilization and activation of FGF by heparin. This study explores the structure-activity relationship of these polysulfonated polymers with a focus on the effect of molecular weight, comonomer type, charge dispersion, and polymer architecture on protein stabilization.
Publisher: American Vacuum Society
Date: 11-2020
DOI: 10.1116/6.0000586
Abstract: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 highlights the global need for platform technologies to enable the rapid development of diagnostics, vaccines, treatments, and personal protective equipment (PPE). However, many current technologies require the detailed mechanistic knowledge of specific material-virion interactions before they can be employed, for ex le, to aid in the purification of vaccine components or in the design of a more effective PPE. Here, we show that an adaption of a polymer microarray method for screening bacterial-surface interactions allows for the screening of polymers for desirable material-virion interactions. Nonpathogenic virus-like particles including fluorophores are exposed to the arrays in an aqueous buffer as a simple model of virions carried to the surface in saliva/sputum. Competitive binding of Lassa and Rubella virus-like particles is measured to probe the relative binding properties of a selection of copolymers. This provides the first step in the development of a method for the discovery of novel materials with promise for viral binding, with the next being development of this method to assess absolute viral adsorption and assessment of the attenuation of the activity of live virus, which we propose would be part of a material scale up step carried out in high containment facilities, alongside the use of more complex media to represent biological fluids.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-11-2018
Abstract: Breaking away from the linear structure of previously reported peptide‐based gelators, this study reports the first ex le of gel formation based on the use of cyclic peptides made of alternating d ‐ and l ‐amino acids, known to self‐assemble in solution to form long nanotubes. Herein, a library of cyclic peptides was systemically studied for their gelation properties in various solvents, uncovering key parameters driving both organogel and hydrogel formation. The hierarchical nature of the self‐assembly process in water was characterised by a combination of electron microscopy imaging and small‐angle X‐ray scattering, revealing a porous network of entangled nanofibres composed by the aggregation of several cyclic peptide nanotubes. Rheology measurements then confirmed the formation of soft hydrogels.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C8PY01579A
Abstract: We evaluate the parameters surrounding the preparation of colloidally stable alkyne functional latex nanoparticles via RAFT emulsion polymerisation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-08-2018
Abstract: Current approaches to generate core-shell nanoparticles for biomedical applications are limited by factors such as synthetic scalability and circulatory desorption of cytotoxic surfactants. Developments in controlled radical polymerization, particularly in dispersed states, represent a promising method of overcoming these challenges. In this work, well-defined PEGylated nanoparticles are synthesized using reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer emulsion polymerization to control particle size and surface composition and were further characterized with light scattering, electron microscopy, and size exclusion chromatography. Importantly, the nanoparticles are found to be tolerated both in vitro and in vivo, without the need for any purification after particle synthesis. Pharmacokinetic and biodistribution studies in mice, following intraperitoneal injection of the nanoparticles, reveal a long (>76 h) circulation time and accumulation in the liver.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C8PY01648H
Abstract: Synthesis of long-chain hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine-co-oxazoline)s by AB 2 thiol–yne chemistry is reported, and their application as pDNA transfection agents studied.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1039/C9PY01521C
Abstract: We performed high-throughput oxygen tolerant ultra-fast RAFT polymerisation producing complex polymer libraries utilising PCR thermocyclers. This now enables the preparation of these libraries in under 5 min without chemistry equipment.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1039/D1NR02179F
Abstract: Redox-responsive NPs, delivering DTX in combination with TUBB3 siRNA, increased DTX activity in lung cancer (LC) cells. After local administration in LC mice models, NPs were retained into the lungs thus exerting high siRNA silencing efficacy.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C8PY01437J
Abstract: We demonstrate that ultrafast RAFT in the presence of air can be scaled down to 2 μL with good control using microvolume insert vials as the polymerisation vessel.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1039/D0AN00434K
Abstract: Dabrafenib is one of the most widely used of the new generation of targeted anti-cancer drugs.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 29-01-2019
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.BIOMAC.8B01709
Abstract: A synthetic cell mimic in the form of giant glycosylated polymersomes (GGPs) comprised of a novel hiphilic diblock copolymer is reported. A synthetic approach involving a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) macro-chain transfer agent (macroCTA) and postpolymerization modification was used to marry the hydrophobic and highly flexible properties of PDMS with the biological activity of glycopolymers. 2-Bromoethyl acrylate (BEA) was first polymerized using a PDMS macroCTA ( M
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1039/C7PY00828G
Abstract: pH/sugar responsive behaviour of tadpole-like single chain nanoparticles based on a switchable hydrophilic/hydrophobic boronic acid cross-linker is described.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-07-2018
Abstract: Heparin plays a significant role in wound healing and tissue regeneration applications, through stabilization of fibroblast growth factors (FGF). Risks associated with batch-to-batch variability and contamination from its biological sources have led to the development of synthetic, highly sulfonated polymers as promising heparin mimics. In this work, a systematic study of an aqueous polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) of styrene from poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sodium sulfonate) (P(AMPS)) macro reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (macro-RAFT) agents produced a variety of spherical heparin-mimicking nanoparticles, which were further characterized with light scattering and electron microscopy techniques. None of the nanoparticles tested showed toxicity against mammalian cells however, significant hemolytic activity was observed. Nonetheless, the heparin-mimicking nanoparticles outperformed both heparin and linear P(AMPS) in cellular proliferation assays, suggesting increased bFGF stabilization efficiencies, possibly due to the high density of sulfonated moieties at the particle surface.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 27-09-2019
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 09-07-2020
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Pratik Gurnani.