Design and synthesis of deuterated lipid analogs and the development of triggered release strategies for liposomal drug delivery

Lipids are crucial components of the human body. They are the major components of cell membranes and govern important biological pathways. Due to their fundamental roles in key biological processes, synthetic lipid analogs have been invaluable for applications including elucidation of lipid function, molecular labeling, drug delivery and cell engineering. In chapter one of this thesis, we describe the development of synthetic lipids to characterize multivalent protein−lipid binding interactions. . Toward this end, we present progress in the design and synthesis of deuterated lipid analogs and their application to characterize the changes in lipid clustering driven by protein−lipid binding interactions using neutron scattering techniques. Additionally, in Chapter two we report progress towards the design and synthesis of stimuli-responsive lipids for the purpose of targeted drug delivery. Here we discuss the design and synthesis of a Zn²⁺ responsive lipid to fulfill the purpose of targeting Zn²⁺ overdosed disease cells to enhance liposomal drug-delivery applications.