Copolymers comprising biomolecules

A prepolymer which is a polyvinyl alcohol having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 500 that, based on the number of hydroxy groups of the polyvinyl alcohol, and comprises

• from 0.5 to 80% structural units of formula (1)
• wherein R is alkylene having up to 8 carbon atoms, R1 is hydrogen or alkyl having up to seven carbon atoms, and R2 is an olefinically unsaturated electron-attracting copolymerizable radical, and
• from 0.01 to 40% units of formula (3) and/or formula (15)
• wherein
• B is the radical of a bioactive organic compound.
• X is —S—, —NH—, —O—, or —OC(O)—, and
• T is linear or branched C1-C10-alkylene which may be substituted by hydroxy and/or interrupted by one or more —O—, —NHC(O)—, —C(O)NH— and/or —NR7— groups, wherein R7 is H or C1-C4-alkyl.

A polymer precursor which is a polyvinyl alcohol having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 500 that, based on the number of hydroxy groups of the polyvinyl alcohol, and comprises

• (a) from 0.5 to 80% structural units of formula (1)
• wherein R is alkylene having up to 8 carbon atoms, R1 is hydrogen or alkyl having up to seven carbon atoms, and R2 is an olefinically unsaturated, electron-attracting copolymerizable radical, and
• (b) from 0.01 to 40% structural units of the formula (14)
• wherein,
• T3 is T is C1-C20-alkylene which may be interrupted by one or more —O—, —NHC(O)—, C(O)NH— and/or —NR7— groups, wherein R7 is C1-C4-alkyl,
• X4 is
• wherein X1 is —O—, —S— or —NH—,
• (ii) —OH or,
• (iii) a leaving group.

A polymer precursor which is a polyvinyl alcohol having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 500 that, based on the number of hydroxy groups of the polyvinyl alcohol, and comprises

• (a) from 0.5 to 80% structural units of formula (1)
• wherein R is alkylene having up to 8 carbon atoms, R1 is hydrogen or alkyl having up to seven carbon atoms, and R2 is an olefinically unsaturated, electron-attracting copolymerizable radical, and
• (b) from 0.01 to 25% structural units of the formula (16)
• wherein R10 is a substituted acyl radical forming an activated ester or an activated amide.

A composition comprising

• (a) from 0.01% to 40% by weight of a first prepoloymer comprising a bioactive moiety and at least one radically polymerizable group, wherein the bioactive moiety is a bioactive organic compound;
• (b) from 20% to 99.99% by weight of a second prepolymer which is a polyvinyl alcohol having a weight-average molecular weight of at least 2000 that, based on the number of hydroxy groups of the polyvinyl alcohol, and-comprises from 0.5% to 80% of units of formula (1)
• wherein R is alkylene having up to 8 carbon atoms, R1 is hydrogen or alkyl having up to seven carbon atoms, and R2 is an olefinically unsaturated, electron-attracting copolymerizable radical, and
• (c) from 0 to 40% of a vinylic comonomer;
• wherein the percentage of each of the components (a), (b) and (c) is based on the total weight of polymerizable and/or crosslinkable material.

A process for the manufacture of a copolymer comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a first prepolymer, comprising a bioactive moiety and at least one radically polymerizable group, wherein the bioactive moiety is a bioactive organic compound;
• (b) providing a second prepolymer which is a polyvinyl alcohol having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 2000 that, based on the number of hydroxy groups of the polyvinyl alcohol, comprises from 0.5 to 80% structural units of formula (1)
• wherein R is alkylene having up to 8 carbon atoms, R1 is hydrogen or alkyl having up to seven carbon atoms, and R2 is an olefinically unsaturated, electron-attracting copolymerizable radical;
• (c) mixing the components according to steps (a) and (b);
• and
• (d) photocrosslinking the mixture according to step (c) in the absence or presence of an additional vinylic polymer.