Polyglycerol-Based Hydrogels For Broad-Spectrum Anti-Viral Applications

Abstract

The focus of this PhD work is on the synthesis and characterization of different types of hydrogels using polyglycerols as the main building block. Both lPG and hPG have the advantages of good hydrophilicity and high biocompatibility which make them ideal for biological applications. In fact, the naturally present mucus hydrogel is used by the body to entrap various pathogens. Hydrogel’s pores alone are responsible for the capture of many different types of viruses and the interactions involved are both physical and chemical. Moreover, previous studies have shown that the introduction of functional groups such as sulfate imparts the characteristics of heparan sulfate to the platforms which is involved in the initial binding interactions of many virus families with the gel, allowing them to behave as broad spectrum anti-viral agents.