Nucleic acid/organic polymer hybrid materials: synthesis, superstructures, and applications.

Extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of hybrid structures consisting of biomacromolecules and organic polymers connected through covalent bonds. While the combination of proteins and peptides with synthetic macromolecules has been explored in depth, far fewer examples of nucleic acid/polymer hybrids are known. In this Review we give selected examples of this exciting class of materials which can be arranged as linear block copolymer architectures, as side-chain polymers, or as cross-linked networks. Emphasis is placed on the fabrication of these materials as well as on their potential applications in nanoscience, diagnostics, and biomedicine.