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Abstract With the ever-growing reliance on polymeric materials for numerous applications, new avenues to induce, design and control degradation are clearly important. Here, we describe a previously unreported approach to controlling enzymatic hydrolysis of high molecular weight branched polymers formed from the new free-radical polymer synthesis strategy transfer-dominated branching radical telomerisation (TBRT). Modifying the chemical nature of TBRT polymers may be accomplished through telogen selection and multi-vinyl taxogen (MVT) design, and we show telogen-driven control of enzyme-catalysed hydrolysis and the impact of careful placement of hydrolytically susceptible groups within readily synthesised MVTs. Our results indicate that utilising conventional free-radical chemistries and unsaturated monomers as feedstocks for highly branched polymer architectures has considerable potential for the design of future materials that degrade into very low molecular weight byproducts at variable and controllable rates.

Non-adherence to daily drug regimens is responsible for many negative clinical effects including drug resistance in life-long treatments for HIV. Here, the authors report on a HIV prodrug nanoparticle platform for long-acting sustained release of water-soluble drug compounds following injection.

Long-acting antimalarials could provide improved prophylaxis and treatment options in the field. Here, Bakshi et al. develop a long-acting injectable atovaquone nanomedicine that prevents malaria infection prophylactically for up to 4 weeks in mice with no evidence for generation of resistant parasites.

Nanomedicine efficacy in a clinical setting depends on the pharmacological properties of the therapeutic nanoparticles. Here, the authors exemplify an accelerated translational strategy from small-scale screening to clinical scale-up for an orally-dosed aqueous paediatric HIV nanomedicine.