Peptoid nucleic acids

Peptoids have also shown great utility in their ability to complex with and deliver nucleic acids to cells, a critical step toward the development of antisense drugs, DNA vaccines, or gene-based therapeutics. Most non-viral nucleic acid delivery systems are based on cationic molecules that can form complexes with the polyan-... 

Beausoleil, E., Truong, K.T., Kirshenbaum, K., and Zuckermann, R.N. Influence of monomer structural elements in hydrophilic peptoids. In Innovations and Perspectives in Solid Phase Synthesis and Combinatorial Libraries Peptides, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids, R. Epton (Ed.), 2001, Mayflower Scientific Press Kingswin-ford, UK, pp. 239-242. 

This field has also inspired the development of a range of pseudo-peptides, that is polyamides composed of amino acids other than a-amino acids. These include for instance peptoids, /9-amino acid oligomers and also compounds such as peptide nucleic acids and DNA binding polyamides, all of which share the amide (peptide) chemistry with natural peptides. 

In this chapter, the term oligomeric compound refers to products prepared by repeatedly linking one or several types of monomer to a growing chain of monomers. Included are biopolymers, such as peptides or oligonucleotides, and non-natural products, such as peptide nucleic acids, peptoids, or other synthetic polyamides. 

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