Polymers at the Interface with Biology

Timothy Deming (1) , Harm-Anton Klok (2) , Steven Armes (3) , Matthew Becker (4) , Julie Champion (5) , Eugene Y.-X. Chen (6) , Sarah Heilshorn (7) , Jan C M van Hest (8) , Darrell Irvine (9) , Jeremiah Johnson (10) , Laura Kiessling (10) , Heather Maynard (1) , Monica Olvera de La Cruz (11) , Millicent Sullivan (12) , Matthew Tirrell (13) , Kristi Anseth (14) , Sébastien Lecommandoux (15, 16) , Simona Percec (17) , Zhiyuan Zhong (18) , Ann-Christine Albertsson (19)

1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry [Los Angeles]
2 EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
3 Department of Chemistry [Sheffield]
4 Department of Polymer Science, The University of Akron
5 Georgia Institute of Technology [Atlanta]
6 Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University
7 Department of Materials Science and Engineering [Stanford]
8 TU/e - Eindhoven University of Technology [Eindhoven]
9 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
10 Chemistry Department [Massachusetts Institute of Technology]
11 Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern Universit
12 DoCE - Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
13 Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago
14 Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering [Boulder]
15 LCPO - Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques
16 Team 3 LCPO : Polymer Self-Assembly & Life Sciences
17 Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia
18 Soochow University
19 Fiber and Polymer Technology, Royal Institute of Technology

Biology in its broadest sense is an important model and inspiration for science and technology. In relation to polymers, biology uses a variety of complex macromolecules to accomplish a myriad of functions in living systems. These biopolymers incorporate many unique features that have inspired the polymer community, including sequence specificity, renewable feedstocks, catalytic activity, self-replication, and specific recognition. Bioinspired synthetic and biologically derived polymers are critical components of many innovative solutions aimed at addressing some of the most pressing problems related to human health and the environment. Challenges and opportunities for the polymer science community at large include both developing synthetic strategies toward such materials as well as studying and developing a fundamental understanding of their interactions with biological systems. Since its inception in 2000, Biomacromolecules has strived to become the leading forum for the dissemination of cutting-edge research at the interface of polymer science and biology. Articles published in Biomacromolecules contain strong elements of innovation in terms of macromolecular design, synthesis, and characterization or in new applications of polymers to biology and medicine. The aims of this Editorial are to review the evolution of research at the interface of polymer science and biology and to present a forward-looking view of this field. We do this by highlighting some areas of research that have been prominently featured in Biomacromolecules over the past years and by presenting some emerging topics that we consider of great relevance and interest to the polymer science community and the readership of Biomacromolecules. This Editorial is partly based on a symposium entitled “Polymers at the Interface with Biology” and an associated “round-table” discussion that took place during the 2017 American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall Meeting in Washington, DC. The participants of this discussion included the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors of Biomacromolecules as well as a group of 13 invited experts.

Domaines: Polymères; Matériaux; Matière Molle [cond-mat.soft]

Timothy Deming, Harm-Anton Klok, Steven Armes, Matthew Becker, Julie Champion, et al.. Polymers at the Interface with Biology. Biomacromolecules, 2018, 19 (8), pp.3151-3162. ⟨10.1021/acs.biomac.8b01029⟩. ⟨hal-02153018⟩