TOWARDS THE PREPARATION OF A MMA-PEO BLOCK-COPOLYMER FOR THE MICROENCAPSULATION OF MAMMALIAN-CELLS

Polymethyl methacrylate-polyethylene glycol-polymethyl methacrylate tr iblock copolymers (PMMA-PEO-PMMA) were synthesized by reductive aminat ion coupling of preformed aldehyde-terminated PEO and amine-terminated PMMA. These were intended for use as high water content and therefore high permeability, biocompatible encapsulating materials for mammalia n cells. Evidence for the formation of the block copolymer was obtaine d indirectly from precipitation experiments and IR analysis of the wat er-soluble extract of the polymer. Unfortunately the pure copolymer co uld not be separated from the homopolymers, because of the difficulty in finding appropriate non-solvents and the apparently limited yield o f the product. Further work is necessary to confirm the underlying hyp othesis of this work, i.e. that such a block copolymer would have a hi gh permeability to the small proteins critical to microencapsulated ce ll survival or function.