Amphiphilic Monomers and Polymers Derived Therefrom

Primary Inventors: 

 Sankaran Thayumanavan, Ph.D.

Description: 

Dr. Sankaran Thayumanavan has developed novel amphiphilic polymers capable of forming self-assembled micelle and reverse-micelle type nanostructures. These amphiphilic polymers can be used to selectively extract and enrich peptides from complex mixtures for highly enhanced analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The selectivity of peptide extraction is based on the difference in isoelectric points of the peptide analytes. When peptides are extracted by the amphiphilic polymers and detected by MALDI-MS in the presence of the polymers, peptide-ion signals can be enhanced by 3-5 orders of magnitude. This enormous signal enhancement enables the MALDI-MS analysis of peptides present at very low concentrations and protein digests of highly complex biological samples.

Applications: 

Selective extraction and enrichment of peptides for MALDI-MS analysis 

Advantages: 
  • Patent protected chemical compositions
  • Robust and inexpensive polymer synthesis
  • Facile and low-cost extraction procedure for selective enrichment of peptides
  • 1,000- to 100,000-fold MALDI-MS signal enhancement 
Licensing Status: 
Available for Licensing and research collaboration
Patent Status: 

US Patent 7,687,600 Issued, and additional patent pending

Docket: 
UMA 05-01 and UMA 07-04

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For More Information: 

Ling X. Shen, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Senior Licensing Officer
Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property
Phone: 413-545-5276
E-mail: lxshen@research.umass.edu