In August 2013, authoritative pharmacy journal J. Controlled Release reported the research by “Simply mixing with poly(ethylene glycol) enhances the fraction of the active chemical form of antitumor drugs of camptothecin family” by JD Ding’s group.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is one of the most important biomedical polymer, especially has various application in pharmaceutics. Ding’s group found a new function of this well-known polymer that addition of PEG copolymer into the drug solution of camptothecin (CPT) can enhance the fraction of the closed-ring form of CPT via the interaction between the drug and the polymer. Over the years, all of members in the CPT family confront the severe problem that the fraction of the active closed-ring form to the inactive open-ring form at physiological pH. Excitingly, how simple the improved solution of Ding’s group based on this investigation is!