Biomolecular Densely Grafted Brush Polymers: Oligonucleotides, Oligosaccharides and Oligopeptides

In this Minireview, we describe synthetic polymers densely functionalized with sequence‐defined biomolecular sidechains. We focus on synthetic brush polymers of oligonucleotides, oligosaccharides, and oligopeptides, prepared via graft‐through polymerization from biomolecule functionalized monomers. The resulting structures are brush polymers wherein a biomolecular graft is positioned at each monomer backbone unit. We describe key synthetic milestones, identify synthetic opportunities, and highlight recent advances in the field, including biological applications. Biomolecular brush polymers are a unique class of materials. In this Minireview, we examine three families of biomolecular brush polymers with different side chains: 1) oligonucleotides, 2) oligosaccharides, and 3) oligopeptides. These materials display distinctive characteristics such as increased cell‐uptake, resistance to enzymes and bioavailability compared to the biomolecular oligomers on their own as individual sequences.