Summary

Dendrimers are a class of hyperbranched polymers with welldefined, nanoscaled structure.

The potential applications of dendrimers extend from material science to pharmaceuticals. In pharmaceuticals, dendrimers are used to entrap therapeutics (drugs) inside their internal cavities, and act as drug delivery vehicles. It is known that several structural parameters influence the physical properties of dendrimers. However, our understanding how architecture affects physical properties is incomplete. Here we propose to study the influence of dendrimer architecture on drug entrapment efficiency, using molecular dynamics computer simulations. By streamlining process of generating initial structures, a large number of different dendrimer architecture can be simulated. Furthermore, the use of a generic molecular model allows the investigation of dendrimers with different architecture without varying its chemical identity. Additionally, we have developed a novel method for determining the drug entrapment and retention capacity of macromolecules which can be readily adopted to dendrimers. A deeper understanding of the architectural features and molecular interactions governing the entrapment efficiency will enable more informed and deliberate design of dendrimers drug delivery systems in the future.

Objectives

1. To isolate novel putative bacterial strains that can function as probiotics from the natural milk and milk products

2. Screening for enzyme, lactric acid production and bacteriocin production and purification

3. To characterize the bacteria based on their biochemical, physiological, morphological and molecular biological features and to characterize the bacteriocin biochemically and genetically

4. Testing the antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin against various food spoilage organisms and pathogens

5. Testing their capacity for their application in the large scale lactic acid production