From Willow Bark to PolyAspirin: History, Discovery and Innovation

Degradable polymers based on polyanhydrides are essentially polymeric prodrugs; the polymers hydrolytically degrade into salicylic acid, just as aspirin hydrolyzes into salicylic acid upon ingestion. This talk describes medical applications where the polymer serves as a temporary barrier that degrades into therapeutically active molecules such as non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and concurrently releases admixed antimicrobials. We build upon our progress with salicylate-based polymers to create new NSAID-based polymers (PolyNSAIDs) that simultaneously reduce inflammation, control pain, and eliminate bacteria to not only address periodontal indications, but also deep bone infections, restenosis, and other related inflammatory diseases. More recently, we’ve expanded our program to include PolyAntibiotics and PolyAntiseptics useful for simultaneously controlling pain, inflammation and infection. Bio for Kathryn Uhrich Dr. Kathryn Uhrich is a Professor of Chemistry at Rutgers University. She received a B.S. degree (1986) in Chemistry at the University of North Dakota, and Ph.D. degree (1992) in Organic Chemistry from Cornell University [Prof. Jean Frechet]. Before moving to her present post at Rutgers in 1995, she held post-doctoral positions at AT&T Bell Laboratories [Dr. Elsa Reichmanis] in 1992 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology [Prof. Robert Langer] in 199395. The focus of her current research is the synthesis and characterization of biocompatible polymers for medical and dental applications, mainly drug delivery and tissue engineering. Specifically, three different polymeric systems are being investigated: (i) hyperbranched, watersoluble polymers that encapsulate, then release, hydrophobic drugs; (ii) polymers that biodegrade into aspirin-like components to locally reduce inflammation and pain; and (iii) micropatterned polymeric substrates for evaluation of nerve cell growth mechanisms. Her research is funded by National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation as well as various foundations and corporations. Kathryn received the Johnson & Johnson Discovery (1996), Hoechst Celanese Innovative Research (1996 and 1997), and National Science Foundation CAREER (2000) awards for her research and elected a Fellow in the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2003). She is co-founder of Polymerix (2000), recipient of the 2003 recipient of New Jersey's "Best Life Sciences/Healthcare Company”. Her recent awards include the Thomas Alva Edison patent award (2003), New Jersey’s Outstanding Scientist in Biomedical Research (2004), ACS-sponsored Buck-Whitney award (2005) and the NY Academy of Sciences Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists (2007). Currently, she is coDirector of an NSF IGERT program on “Biointerfaces” (2004-present). Contact information: Office: 732 445 0361 Fax: 732 445 7036 Cell: 201 315 9808 Kristina Wetter (AA): 732 445 8388