Shi, Zheng2018-02-152018-02-152006http://hdl.handle.net/10179/12768This thesis describes the synthesis of new polymers suitable for the support of in vitro hepatocyte growth. The key design feature of the monomers investigated was the incorporation of a galactose residue, expected to promote the adhesion and proliferation of hepatocytes in vitro, through the regioselective derivation of lactose. A graft polymerisation strategy was investigated as an alternative to co-polymerization, since it proved difficult to isolate the carbohydrate-derived monomers in sufficient purity. This led to the formation of a glutaraldehyde-crosslinked lactosylated polyamine hydrogel, which was found to perform well in initial cell trials.enThe AuthorBiopolymersTissue engineeringThesisQ112868770https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112868770