Preparation of biomolecule-polymer conjugates by grafting-from using ATRP, RAFT, or ROMP

Biomolecule-polymer conjugates are constructs that take advantage of the functional or otherwise beneficial traits inherent to biomolecules and combine them with synthetic polymers possessing specially tailored properties. The rapid development of novel biomolecule-polymer conjugates based on proteins, peptides, or nucleic acids has ushered in a variety of unique materials, which exhibit functional attributes including thermo-responsiveness, exceptional stability, and specialized specificity. Key to the synthesis of new biomolecule-polymer hybrids is the use of controlled polymerization techniques coupled with either grafting-from, grafting-to, or grafting-through methodology, each of which exhibit distinct advantages and/or disadvantages. In this review, we present recent progress in the development of biomolecule-polymer conjugates with a focus on works that have detailed the use of grafting-from methods employing ATRP, RAFT, or ROMP.