Talking about polymers

In South-Western France, several research laboratories work on polymers and their possible applications in the biomedical sector. In fact, they help to design new types of drugs at the nanoscale.
Researchers Etienne Duguet and Sébastien Lecommandoux discuss the different processing phases of this macromolecule. They discuss the manufacture of nanovectors, polymer capsules that can be injected into the human body to identify diseased tissues or organs without being detected by the immune system and release the drug dose using different methods. One of these, for example, consists in integrating magnetic particles into the nanovector, thus enabling a physician both to release the drug whenever he wishes and also to monitor its progress by MRI. The goal of the researchers is to increase therapeutic efficacy while reducing side effects, for example in the treatment of cancer.
While still in an optimization phase, some nanovectors are already available on the market, but it will still be a few years before they are available to all.