Many pharmaceuticals require specific storage conditions to work properly and effectively. Proteins and enzymes are particularly susceptible to degradation during transport or storage due to temperature fluctuation [1]. Kosmotropic protein conjugates, such as trehalose glycopolymers, are agents that stabilize the structure of water and have been shown to protect proteins against harsh environmental conditions, such as extreme temperatures [1,2]. Another area of interest is the enhancement of drug activity. The addition of chaotropic protein conjugates (agents that disrupt the structure of water), such as polymerized NIPAM (pNIPAM), could increase enzymatic activity by slightly deforming the native conformation to one that’s more stable at higher temperatures [2,3]. Future protein conjugates would ideally provide both protection against harsh conditions and activity enhancement. A copolymer conjugate consisting of trehalose glycopolymer and pNIPAM that has both kosmotropic and chaotropic effects is hypothesized to provide both protection and enhancement to enzymes when subjected to extreme temperatures.

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