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Dissertation
Synthesis and application of zwitterionic PEG
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011433
Abstract
Therapeutic proteins are widely used in modern pharmaceutics, but their clinical efficacy is often limited by rapid clearance, poor stability, and high immunogenicity. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been extensively employed to improve protein stability, prolong circulation half-life, and provide immune shielding. However, growing evidence has highlighted important limitations of PEG, including the prevalence of pre-existing anti-PEG antibodies and the induction of anti-PEG antibody responses following exposure to PEGylated drugs. Anti-PEG antibodies can lead to accelerated blood clearance of PEG-conjugated therapeutics and, in severe cases, life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions. In this thesis, we synthesized and characterized a novel zwitterionic PEG-based polymer and demonstrated its ability to improve the pharmacokinetics of protein therapeutics. We further evaluated the immunogenicity of polymer-modified proteins and elucidated mechanistic factors underlying the enhanced in vivo performance.
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Details
- Title
- Synthesis and application of zwitterionic PEG
- Creators
- Yucheng Zhu
- Contributors
- Hao Cheng (Advisor)Andrew J. D. Magenau (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- 116 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Materials (Science and) Engineering (Metallurgical Engineering) (1970-2026); College of Engineering (1970-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022189595704721