New synthetic polymers and polymer architectures contribute widely to the progress in pharmacy and biomedicine. This book consists of five sections that describe and discuss recent developments in biorelated polymers; specifically, the focus is on the following subject areas: i) Synthesis of new polymers for pharmacy and biomedicine, ii) Using polymers for modern therapeutic approaches, iii) Delivery of biomacromolecules, i.e., drugs as well as nucleic acids, iv) Polymers for tissue engineering, and v) Polymers for surfaces and sensors. All chapters were written by the world's leading scientists in their respective fields. Research presented in these chapters demonstrates that these new polymers, new polymer architectures, and new polymer conjugates are well suited for demanding applications in biomedical diagnostics and therapies. Modern approaches to drug delivery systems, new scaffolds for tissue engineering, and surfaces for sensors or antimicrobial activity are discussed in detail. Novel strategies in polymer synthesis are presented, as e.g. the functionalization of dendrimers or hyperbranched polymers, exploiting the possibilities of 'click' chemistry for the synthesis of well-defined block and graft copolymers or bioconjugation, and introducing environmentally responsive polymer moieties.
This book was inspired by the 11th Biorelated Polymer Symposium that was held at the 243rd ACS meeting in March of 2012. The 20 chapters of this book provide detailed information on cutting edge research in the field of polymer science for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. They are intended not only for polymer scientists but also for engineers and scientists working with polymers in life sciences