Biomedical application of hyperbranched polymers: Recent Advances and challenges

Abstract Hyperbranched polymers (HBPs), as a subclass of dendrimers, have attracted the interest of polymer technologists and scientists around the world. These structures have special adjustable traits, unusual architectures, asymmetric random branches, and wide applications. Compared to dendrimers, branched polymers are easy to synthesize. The one-pot synthesis technique makes the scale-up production of these polymers possible and economically acceptable. In addition, the presence of modifiable functional groups in HBPs, biocompatibility, and biodegradability have made them a viable option in the field of biomedicine. Therefore, HBPs with three-dimensional structures are promising compounds in biomedicine. In this review, a summary of synthesis methods and traits of branched polymers as well as their applications in various biomedical fields including disease diagnosis, tissue engineering, drug/gene delivery, biomedical analysis, immuno/pharmacotherapy, biosensing, and transmission systems are investigated. Also, some of the challenges in biocompatibility and toxicity of HBPs are discussed.