Biomedical applications of dendrimers: a tutorial

Since their development in the mid-80s, dendrimers have become prominent synthetic macromolecules in the field of biomedical science. This tutorial review begins by discussing pertinent background information about dendrimers, focusing on their behavior in solution, how they are synthesized and what advantages they have over linear polymers. Then the focus of the review shifts to the biomedical applications of dendrimers, including their use in drug delivery, tissue engineering, gene transfection, and contrast enhancement for magnetic resonance imaging. This tutorial review is written for first-year graduate students or senior undergraduates and "asks'' and "answers'' many of the questions that arise in our first discussions of dendrimers.