Dendritic macromolecules are well-defined highly branched macromolecules synthesized via a divergent or convergent approach. A salient feature of the macromolecules described herein, and a goal of our research effort, is to prepare dendritic macromolecules suitable for in vitro and in vivo use by focusing on biocompatible building blocks and biodegradable linkages. These dendritic macromolecules can be subsequently crosslinked to form hy-drogels using a photochemical acrylate-based or a

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... ligation strategy. The propertiesmechanical, swelling, degradation, and so forth-of the hydrogels can be tuned by altering the composition, crosslinking chemistry, wt %, generation number and so forth. The utility and diverse applicability is demonstrated through successful use of these hydrogels in three unique applications: hydrogel adhesives for repairing corneal wounds, hydrogel scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering, and hydrogel reaction chambers for high throughput screening of molecular recognition events. He has published more than 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts and given more than 170 oral presentations. He is a cofounder of two companies that are commercializing his ideas. His current research activities involve the synthesis of new macromolecules and amphiphiles, self-assembly chemistry, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and nanotechnology. Figure 1. Schematic of an idealized dendrimer.