In the field of drug delivery systems, polymeric nanogels obtained by the self-assembly of biocompatible amphiphilic polymers in water have emerged as one of the most promising nanocarriers for various hydrophobic drugs. These systems offer several advantages such as enhanced hydrophobic drug solubility in water, decreased side effects, and improved drug delivery to tumor tissues via the enhanced permeabiliy and retention (EPR) effect. In this regard, stimuli-responsive polymeric nanogels are attractive platforms for drug delivery due to their ability to change their physical and/or chemical properties in response to an external stimulus such as light, magnetic field, pH or temperature. Thermoresponsive polymers are particularly interesting due to their ability to undergo a reversible thermally-induced phase transition without the need of additional reagents. In this context, our aim was to engineer and to study a new class of thermorespsonsive, biocompatible and biodegradable nanogels based on glycoaminoglycans (GAGs) through the modification of the polysaccharide backbone with a thermoresponsive copolymer of di(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (DEGMA) and n-butylmethacrylate (BMA)). The latter was properly designed to obtain stable nanogels at room temperature. The versatile synthetic route to nanogels also allowed their further shell-crosslinking to capture the nanogel structure at low temperature. The choice of the GAGs forming the hydrophilic shell can be exploited to control their biological behavior. In order to use these systems as a versatile platform for delivery of active ingredients and other molecules of interest, we investigated the possibility of incorporating iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic guidance, imaging and hyperthermia treatment. The syntheses of the magnetic component as well as the design of the nanocarrier are key steps to achieve a magnetically-responsive nanodelivery system capable of efficient targeting.

Marlène will defend her thesis in French.