CHAPTER 3: Poly(lysine) Dendrimers and Other Dendritic Molecules From Naturally Occurring Monomers

The chapter describes the history, synthetic strategies and applications of dendrimers and dendrons based on biologically derived monomers. The chapter has focus on poly(lysine) dendrimers and dendrons, but also gives some examples of various types of polyester-based dendrimers and dendrons. Poly(lysine) dendrimers are the first known dendrimer type built up by biomonomers, hence this scaffold has been intensively investigated especially within biomedical applications. Polyester-based dendrimers and dendrons based on biomonomers are of more recent origin but pose an intriguing alternative to poly(lysine) scaffolds due to their low toxicity and easy degradable ester bonds.