Polymer-peptide/protein conjugates on the surface

Background: Polymer-peptide/protein conjugates immobilized on surface have gained considerable attention, mostly due to their broad scope of applications in biomedical fields. To optimize their properties, the combined knowledge of polymer chemistry and biochemistry has to be applied. Method: The main methods to obtain such surfaces involve “grafting to” or “grafting from” of polymeric linkers with subsequent attachment of a peptide/protein. Alternatively, a “ready-made” conjugate may be grafted to the surface. Result: The structure of the polymer linker significantly influences the properties of the active surface, and a variety of physicochemical methods and tools have been successfully applied to study the structure-property relationship of these surfaces. Conclusion: This review outlines the applied synthetic strategies leading to covalently attached bioconjugates on the surface and the characterization techniques used to study those materials. The relevance of different linear polymeric linkers and their influence on the properties of the obtained materials is discussed.