Patent ID: 7943703

Claim:
A method of creating a bioadhesive in a substantially aqueous environment comprising the steps: placing an anionicially polymerized block copolymer containing an amide in a solvent to allow the solvent to swell the block copolymer, wherein the polymerized block copolymer containing the amide is prepared by reacting a difunctional anionic initiator with a sterically hindered ester of methacrylic acid (SEMA); reacting the anionically polymerized hindered ester of methacrylic acid with methacrylic acid (MMA); hydrolyzing the anionically polymerized block copolymer with an aqueous solution to afford a methyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid-methyl methacrylate block copolymer (MMA-MAA-MMA); reacting the MMA-MAA-MMA block copolymer with 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl alanine to afford an amide with the MAA portion of the block copolymer; and placing the solvent swollen block copolymer in water, wherein the water is exchanged with the solvent to provide a bioadhesive in an aqueous environment.