Synthetic polymers in biology and medicine

Synthetic organic polymers have gained great importance as supports and separation materials in biochemical laboratory techniques, medical diagnostics and biotechnological procedures. Furthermore they are used as carriers for drugs and biologically active substances in pharmacy, medicine and agriculture. Classifying their biocompatibility it has to be distinguished between in vitro application of polymers interacting on the one hand with molecular biosystems such as proteins and on the other hand with living cells, and in vivo administration in higher organisms, especially in the human organism.