Making Polymers That Self-Destruct: Layers break apart in controlled way

Scientists in Japan have created a polymer film that can chew itself apart, making it a candidate for the controlled delivery of therapeutic drugs.

CHEWED UP. Enzymes (notched disks) tear into layers of DNA (helices), causing a multilayered polymer film to break apart. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.

A major thrust of modern medicinal research is to regulate the release of drugs from pills and biomedical implants so that the therapeutic molecules are liberated over a long period or target selected organs.