LAUSR

Conjugation of drugs to polymers is a widely used approach to gain control over the release of therapeutics. In this contribution, salicylic acid, a multipurpose model drug, is conjugated to the biocompatible poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx). The drug is attached to the side chains of a polymer carrier trough a hydrolytically cleavable ester linker, via a sequential post-polymerization modification. The chemical modulation of this ester, i.e., obtained from primary or secondary alcohol, is demonstrated to greatly influence the ester hydrolysis rate. This crucial parameter allows to tune the in vitro kinetics of the sustained drug release for periods over a month in PBS. The synthetic accessibility of the cleavable linker together with the modularity of the drug release rate offered by this approach, highlights the utility of this class of polymers in the field of long-lasting drug delivery systems for persistent and chronic disease treatment.