Doctoral Defense - Mayson Whipple

About the Event

The Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Michigan State University

Ph.D. Dissertation Defense

June 4th, 2025 at 10:30am

Engineering Seminar Room, 3540 Engineering Building and Zoom

Contact Department or Advisor for Zoom Information

 
Abstract
Polyether Design for Human Health: Their Role in Therapeutics, Diagnostics, and Society
By: Mayson Whipple
Advisor: Dr. Robert C. Ferrier Jr.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and PEG derivatives, i.e., polyethers, have transformed medicine in the 21st century primarily due their biocompatibility and tunable properties. PEG derivatives with functional groups attached as pendants and at the chain ends (hetero-multifunctional polymers) provide numerous opportunities for synthetic modification. In this work, we aimed to exploit these functionalities through precise initiator design, resulting in highly tunable, biocompatible polyethers with clinical relevance in therapeutics (i.e., hapten-targeted immunotherapies) and diagnostics (i.e., CT medical imaging). Aluminum-based initiators were synthesized which (1) incorporate highly reactive small molecules to functional polyether chain ends, (2) produce nanoparticle-polyether conjugates with controlled brush properties through surface-initiation, and (3) yield block-co-polymers consisting of a PEG block and a functional poly(epichlorohydrin) (PECH) block for facile routes of synthetic modification to achieve desired properties. The structural and compositional control was established for polymerizations from all novel initiators and synthetic modification was achieved for the anticipated use in therapeutics and/or diagnostics. Finally, societal perceptions play a major role in implementation of novel pharmaceutical interventions. Therefore, the societal barriers to effective treatment outcomes were explored in a population associated with one targeted application in this work, hapten-targeted immunotherapies for treating opioid use disorders. Ultimately, this work furthers our understanding of polymer chemistry/synthesis and informs future design and effective implementation of polymer-based materials for applications in human health.

Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation. Please call the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at 355-5135 at least one day prior to the seminar; requests received after this date will be met when possible.