Polymers Interfacing with Biology

Frederik Wurm; Harm-Anton Klok

doi:10.2533/chimia.2011.659

Polymers Interfacing with Biology

Authors

Frederik Wurm
Harm-Anton Klok Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères, Bâtiment MXD, Station 12, CH-1015 Lausanne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2011.659

Keywords:

Biopolymers, Pegylation, Polymer brush, Polymer therapeutics, Surface modification

Abstract

The development of various controlled radical polymerization techniques as well as site- and residue specific strategies to modify peptides/proteins with synthetic polymers have made polymer chemistry a powerful tool to address materials problems at the biology interface. This article will present recent examples for bioactive surface modification and polymer therapeutics; it will highlight the use of controlled radical polymerization techniques and bioconjugation strategies to develop surface coatings for regenerative medicine and diagnostics, respectively, polymer-based nanomedicines.