A general synthetic route to defined, biologically active multivalent arrays

A new, general strategy for the synthesis of biologically active multivalent arrays displaying diverse functionality has been developed. This method exploits the ability of ring-opening metathesis polymerizations to produce polymers of defined lengths. By incorporating N-hydroxysuccinimide esters into the polymers, recognition epitopes bearing nucleophilic functional groups, in this case an alpha-mannose derivative, can be attached. The synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of manniose-bearing polymers demonstrated the utility of this new methodology. This strategy will facilitate the creation of diverse multivalent libraries and the large-scale production of multidentate ligands.