ABSTRACT
Among different micelle-forming block copolymers developed, those with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as the shell-forming block and poly(l-amino acid)s (PLAA)s and poly(ester)s as the core-forming block are in the front line of drug development. The primary advantage of PEO-b-PLAA block copolymers over PEO-b-poly(esters) is the chemical flexibility of the PLAA structure that makes nano-engineering of the carrier a feasible approach. The downside of polymeric micelles’ smaller size is the restricted space for drug encapsulation in the carrier. The chapter provides an overview on the preparation; micellar properties and biological performance of PEO-modified PLAA-based polymeric micellar formulations. Emphasis has been placed on the application of PEO-b-PLAA-micelles for the targeted delivery of anti-cancer agents. The chapter discusses new advancements in the field, including a second generation of PEO-b-PLAA micelles and development of PEO-b-PLAA micelles for gene delivery. Methoxy PEO-b-PLAA dendrimers have also been prepared by the liquid phase peptide synthesis and used in drug delivery.
