Ivan Gitsov

Associate Professor
217 Jahn Laboratory
470-6851
igivanov@syr.edu

Ph.D., 1986, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria); Research Associate, Institute of Polymers, Sofia, 1985-1986; Research Associate, Senior Research Associate, R&D Institute for Special Chemicals, Sofia, 1987-1993; Visiting Scientist, Research Associate and Manager of the Polymer Characterization Facility, Cornell University, and Cornell Center for Materials Research, 1990-1996; Visiting Assistant Professor, Cornell University, 1996-2000. Greve Foundation Fellow (William & Mary Greve Foundation), 1990; Cottrell Scholar (Research Corporation), 1999.

The research efforts in our group are focused on the design, synthesis and evaluation of novel polymers and copolymers with unique architecture, composition and properties that can be used for advanced applications. The synthetic projects involve extensive use of various methods for organic functional group (trans)formation, polycondensation techniques and multiple procedures for controlled or "living" chain-growth polymerization. State-of-the-art methods for isolation, identification and characterization of the macromolecules formed are used including size-exclusion chromatography with multiple detection, FT-IR, UV-Vis, Fluorescence and NMR spectroscopies, mass spectrometry and microscopy. The biological activity and biocompatibility of selected materials are evaluated in collaboration with other research groups and laboratories in USA and Europe. The combination of these methods places our research at the interfaces of organic chemistry, polymer science, biotechnology and molecular medicine.

Our efforts are almost equally divided between the creation of novel macromolecular architectures (linear-dendritic copolymers and hydrogels, star-graft and comb-graft copolymers) and the evaluation of materials formed for novel biomedical applications (polymeric prodrugs, systems for covalent or passive drug binding and sustained delivery) and for new biotechnological applications (formation of unique semi-artificial enzymes through site-specific nano-contacts and no chemical / genetic modification of the proteins).

A leading motif throughout our research is the development and use of “green” and sustainable chemistry practices.

Cross-polarized optical micro-photography of a supermolecule formed in water by self-assembly of amphiphilic linear-dendritic copolymers.	Self-Assembly of [G-2]-PEG5000-[G-2] in Aqueous Media: Left - unimers below cmc ; Center - onset of self-assembly; Right - supermolecule with dendritic core and linear shell. (For more details see Gitsov et al., J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2000, 38, 2711-2727)

Representative Publications

Novel Macromolecular Architectures

Copolymers

Hybrid Linear-Dendritic Macromolecules: From Synthesis to Applications J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 46, 5295-5314 (2008) I. Gitsov

Synthesis of Novel Asymmetric Dendritic-Linear-Dendritic Block Copolymers via “Living” Anionic Polymerization of Ethylene Oxide Initiated by Dendritic Macroinitiators J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 45, 5136-5148 (2007) I. Gitsov, A, Simonyan, N.G. Vladimirov

Linear-Dendritic Poly(Ester)-block-Poly(ether)-block-Poly(Ester) ABA copolymers Constructed by a Divergent Growth Method
Macromolecules 36, 1068-1074 (2003) K.R. Lambrych, I. Gitsov

Synthesis of new hybrid macromolecules with cyclo-dendritic architecture, Chem. Commun. 2000, 269-270 I. Gitsov, P.T. Ivanova

Hydrogels

Novel Materials for Bioanalytical and Biomedical Applications: Environmental Response and Binding/Release Capabilities of Amphiphilic Hydrogels with Shape-Persistent Dendritic Junctions J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 43, 4017-4029 (2005)
C. Zhu, C. Hard, C. Lin, I. Gitsov

Novel Functionally Grafted Pseudo Semi-Interpenetrating Networks Constructed by Reactive Linear-Dendritic Copolymers
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 11228-11234 (2003) I. Gitsov, C. Zhu

Amphiphilic Hydrogels Constructed by Poly(ethylene Glycol) and Shape-Persistent Dendritic Fragments Macromolecules 35, 8418-8427 (2002) I. Gitsov, C. Zhu

Materials for Biomedical Applications

Synthesis and Hydrolytic Stability of Poly(oxyethylene H-phosphonates) J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 46 4130-4139 (2008)
I. Gitsov, F.E. Johnson

Immobilization of Aminothiols on Poly(oxyethylene H-phosphonates) and Poly(oxyethylene phosphate)s – an Approach to Polymeric Protective Agents for Radiotherapy of Cancer J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 45 1349-1363 (2007) K. Troev, I. Tsatcheva, N. Koseva, R. Georgieva, I. Gitsov

Immobilization of Aminothiols on Poly(oxyalkylene phosphates). Formation of Poly(oxyethylene phosphates)/Cysteamine Complexes and their Radioprotective Efficiency J. Med. Chem. 45 5797-5801 (2002) R. Georgieva, R. Tsevi, K. Kossev, R. Kusheva, M. Balgjiska, R. Petrova, V. Tenchova, I. Gitsov, K. Troev

Dendritic-polymer drug delivery structures characterized by a novel triple detection method Drug Disc. Today 6(2), 108-109 (2001) I. Gitsov, P. Clarke

Materials for Biotechnological Applications

Green Oxidation of Steroids in Nano-Reactors Assembled from Laccase and Linear-Dendritic Copolymers Polymer Biocatalysis and Biomaterials, H.N. Cheng, R.A. Gross, Eds., ACS Symposium Series Vol. 999, American Chemical Society, Washington DC, 2008, 110-128, in press I. Gitsov, A. Simonyan, A. Krastanov, S. Tanenbaum

Enzymatic Nano-reactors for Environmentally Beningn Biotransformations. 1. Formation and Catalytic Activity of Supramolecular Complexes of Laccase and Linear Dendritic Block Copolymers Biomacromolecules 9, 804-811 (2008)

Nondestructive Regioselective Modification of Laccase by Linear-Dendritic Copolymers. Enhanced Oxidation of Benzo-a-Pyrene in Water Polymer Biocatalysis and Biomaterials, H.N. Cheng, R.A. Gross, Eds., ACS Symposium Series Vol. 900, American Chemical Society, Washington DC, 2005, 80-94; I. Gitsov, K. Lambrych, P. Lu, J. Nakas, J. Ryan and S. W. Tanenbaum

Smart Polymer Recycling (in cooperation with Prof. K. Troev, Bulgaria)

Smart Polymer Recycling: Synthesis of Novel Rigid Polyurethanes Using Phosphorus-Containing Oligomers Formed by Controlled Degradation of Microporous Polyurethane Elastomer J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 105, 302-308 (2007) K. Troev, G. Grancharov, V. Mitova, St. Shenkov, A. Topliyska, Ivan Gitsov

Phosphorus-Containing Oligoamides Obtained by a Novel One-Pot Degradation of Polyamide-6 Polym. Degrad. Stab. 91, 778-788 (2006) K. Troev, N. Todorova, V. Mitova, St. Vassileva, I. Gitsov

A Novel Catalyst for the Glycolysis of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) J. Appl. Pol. Sci. 90, 1148-1152 (2003) K. Troev, G. Grancharov, R. Tsevi, I. Gitsov

A Novel Depolymerization Route to Phosphorus-containing Oligocarbonates Polymer 42, 39-42 (2001) K. Troev, R. Tsevi, I. Gitsov

 

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