Combinatorial and rational approaches to polymer synthesis for medicine.

High-throughput, combinatorial methods have revolutionized small molecule synthesis and drug discovery. By combining automation, miniaturization, and parallel synthesis techniques, large collections of new compounds have been synthesized and screened. It is becoming increasingly clear that these same approaches can also assist the discovery and development of novel biomaterials for medicine. This review examines combinatorial and rational polymer synthesis for medical applications, including stem cell engineering and nucleic acid drug delivery.