Synthesis of polymers containing integral antibodies

Abstract

A method is disclosed for the de novo synthesis of antibody-containing polymers and the preparation of a class of polymerizable compounds used in the synthesis of such antibody-containing polymers. Antibody-containing polymers formed from monomer/antibody conjugates and nonderivatized polymerizable compounds can be varied in formation of the polymer to provide control of (a) molecular spacing, steric accessibility and the number of antibody molecules that are integrally incorporated into the polymer backbone, and (b) the chemical and physical structure of the polymer itself, thus enabling specific tailoring of antibody-containing polymers for particular end-use application. Also disclosed is a method for the selective removal of a compound from a solution or suspension thereof using monomer/receptor conjugates where the compound has the capacity to bind to the receptor in the conjugate. The bound compound is removed by polymerization - induced separation of the monomer/receptor--compound complex from solution.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.