Oligonucleotide-Poly(ethylene glycol) Conjugates: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

Abstract

The use of DNA and RNA oligonucleotides for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes has created great interest in methods of enhancing their stability and delivery. One promising strategy is covalent conjugation of oligonucleotides to polymers. This chapter discusses polyethylene glycol and related polymers suitable for conjugation, methods of conjugation, the properties of DNA-PEG and RNA-PEG conjugates and the possibilities for designing nucleic acid based drugs using these conjugates. In addition, an overview on the use of short oligoethylene glycol based linkers as synthetic loop replacements and for the development of molecular tools is presented.