Precision polymers with biological activity: Design towards self-assembly and bioactivity

This short review aims at highlighting new trends in polymer science towards the design of bioactive and biofunctional materials by design. The recent development of controlled polymerization and post-modification methods together with efficient coupling strategies based on "click chemistry" approaches allows the preparation of highly precise polymer systems that combine the ability to self-assemble into well-defined and predictable structures, together with a pre-defined or molecularly encoded bioactivity (such as interaction, inhibition, recognition). Even if polymers have been used for many years in the field of biomaterials mostly because of their mechanical properties and inert character, we believe that a novel area is arising, where polymers will be at the center of innovation. Such highly precise polymer materials are believed to bring breakthrough technologies at the interface between materials science and biotechnology. (C) 2015 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.