Amylopectin Copolymers Grafted with RAFT-Obtained Synthetic Polymers: Synthesis and Aqueous Solution Behavior

Dr Stergios Pispas Research Director at the TPCI/NHRF is coauthor of the publication “Amylopectin Copolymers Grafted with RAFT-Obtained Synthetic Polymers: Synthesis and Aqueous Solution Behavior”, M.-M. Bazarghideanu, M.-M. Zaharia, A.-M. Macsim, M. Mihai, S. Pispas which has been published in the renowned journal in the field of biopolymers Biomacromolecules 2026, 27, 1985−1998.

This research has been implemented in collaboration with the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy of Sciences. It describes the synthesis of hybrid graft copolymers composed of the natural polysaccharide amylopectin through direct reaction with synthetic polymers synthesized by the RAFT polymerization technique. The innovative synthesis scheme leads to the creation of copolymers which combine characteristics of both biological and synthetic macromolecules, possess high biocompatibility and biodegradability, and they show response to solution pH and temperature, via formation of diverse nanostructures in aqueous media. The later characteristics confer to these novel copolymers high potential for utilization as nanocarriers of pharmaceutical compounds for cancer therapy schemes.