TITLE PAGE -- TABLE OF CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- 1 INTRODUCTION -- 1.1 WHAT MAKES POLYMERS SO INTERESTING? -- 1.2 MACROMOLECULAR ENGINEERING AND NANOSTRUCTURE FORMATION -- 1.3 SPECIFIC NEEDS IN BIONANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOMEDICINE -- REFERENCE -- 2 TERMINOLOGY -- 2.1 POLYMER ARCHITECTURES -- 2.2 MULTIFUNCTIONALITY -- 2.3 BIOCONJUGATES -- 2.4 BIOCOMPATIBILITY -- 2.5 BIODEGRADATION -- 2.6 BIOACTIVITY -- 2.7 MULTIVALENCY -- 2.8 BIONANOTECHNOLOGY -- REFERENCES -- 3 PREPARATION METHODS AND TOOLS -- 3.1 GENERAL ASPECTS OF POLYMER SYNTHESIS -- 3.2 CONTROLLED POLYMER SYNTHESIS -- 3.3 EFFECTIVE POLYMER ANALOGOUS REACTIONS -- 3.4 PEGYLATION -- 3.5 BIOCONJUGATION -- 3.6 ENZYMATIC POLYMER SYNTHESIS -- 3.7 SOLID PHASE SYNTHESIS AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES -- 3.8 HYDROGELS AND HYDROGEL SCAFFOLDS -- 3.9 SURFACE MODIFICATION AND FILM PREPARATION -- 3.10 MICROENGINEERING OF POLYMERS AND POLYMERIC SURFACES -- REFERENCES -- 4 ANALYTICAL METHODS -- 4.1 MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND MOLAR MASS DETERMINATION OF POLYMERS AND BIOHYBRIDS -- 4.2 CHARACTERIZATION OF AGGREGATES AND ASSEMBLIES -- 4.3 CHARACTERIZATION OF HYDROGEL NETWORKS -- 4.4 SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION -- 4.5 BIOPHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOCOMPATIBILITY -- REFERENCES -- 5 MULTIFUNCTIONAL POLYMER ARCHITECTURES -- 5.1 MULTIFUNCTIONAL (BLOCK) COPOLYMERS -- 5.2 DENDRITIC POLYMERS -- 5.3 GLYCOPOLYMERS -- 5.4 PEPTIDE-BASED STRUCTURES -- 5.5 BIOHYBRID HYDROGELS -- REFERENCES -- 6 FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS AND APPLIED SYSTEMS -- 6.1 ORGANIC NANOPARTICLES AND AGGREGATES FOR DRUG AND GENE DELIVERY -- 6.2 POLYMER THERAPEUTICS AND TARGETING APPROACHES -- 6.3 MULTI- AND POLYVALENT POLYMERIC ARCHITECTURES -- 6.4. BIORESPONSIVE NETWORKS -- 6.5 BIOFUNCTIONAL SURFACES -- REFERENCES -- ABBREVIATIONS -- INDEX -- END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT.