Polymers for Biomedicine: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

Among the most active fields in chemical research, biorelated polymers are intimately related to progress in medicine and pharmaceuticals. Biomedical and genetic advances continuously open new needs for structurally well–defined polymers that accommodate and enable the function of therapeutics, sensing molecules, and novel micro– and macro–scale prosthetics.

Highlighting dynamic developments in polymer synthesis, Synthesis and Characterization of Biorelated Polymers for Biomedical Applications focuses on the chemical techniques to synthesize and characterize biomedically relevant polymers and macromolecules.

The chapters feature authors representing the multidisciplinary and diverse nature of the research into biomedically relevant polymers. These contributions aid researchers developing polymers and materials for biomedical applications, describing biopolymers from a synthetic perspective. The coverage includes important areas like cationically–charged macromolecules, pseudo–peptides, polydrugs and prodrugs, controlled radical polymerization, self–assembly, polycondesates, and polymers for surface modification.

Carmen Scholz, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where her research concentrates on the synthesis and characterization of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. She serves on the editorial boards of 3 journals (including Wiley s Polymer International), has published over 70 papers or proceedings, and edited 5 books.