Trends in the dynamically developing application of biocatalysis for the synthesis and modification of polymers over the past 5 years are considered, with an emphasis on the production of biodegradable, biocompatible and functional polymeric materials oriented to medical applications. The possibilities of using enzymes not only as catalysts for polymerization but also for the preparation of monomers for polymerization or oligomers for block copolymerization are considered. Special attention is paid to the prospects and existing limitations of biocatalytic production of new synthetic biopolymers based on natural compounds and monomers from biomass, which can lead to a huge variety of functional biomaterials. The existing experience and perspectives for the integration of bio- and chemocatalysis in this area are discussed.
Keywords: biobased polymers; biocatalysis; biocatalytic monomer synthesis; biocompatible polymers; biodegradable polymers; enzymatic polymerization.