Patent ID: 8404469

Claim:
A method for preparing an enzyme-embedded polymer material comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a polymer, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of poly(ε-caprolactone), poly(lactic acid) stereocopolymer, polyesters, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polysaccharides, polycarbonates, polyamides, oligopeptides, pseudopolyamino acids, peptides of higher molecular weight, protein-based materials, polymers prepared from fatty acids with degradable linkages, polyurethanes built from polyols that contain degradable units, mixed linkage polymers that contain various fractions of the above polymer building blocks, and vinyl polymers; (b) selecting an enzyme capable of degrading the polymer, wherein the enzyme is selected from the group consisting of lipases, hydrolases, and cutinases; (c) incorporating the enzyme selected to degrade the polymer into a polymer matrix formed from the polymer by enzyme-embedded material synthesis, wherein as the polymer matrix is being synthesized, hydrolytic enzymes become associated with the polymer matrix and are incorporated within the polymer matrix; and (d) incorporating an active agent into the polymer matrix simultaneously with the polymerization reaction.