Patent ID: 8426357

Claim:
A multimeric agent of the following formula: Z—(X-Pol-Y) n wherein: Z is a homo-multifunctional hydrocarbon with 1 to 50 carbon atoms which optionally contains heteroatoms; X is a hydrocarbon linker with 1-15 carbon atoms, which optionally contains heteroatoms and which is capable of forming a stable linkage between Z and Pol selected from the group consisting of a triazol linkage, an amide linkage, a thioether linkage, a urea linkage, and an ester linkage; Pol is a water soluble, linear polymer having a molecular weight of less than 2,000 Daltons, Y is a coupling agent capable of coupling to a biologically active agent, and n is an integer from 4-20, each X-Pol-Y moiety is independently linked to Z via X, such that there are n linkages between Z and Pol, and further wherein Z is not a peptidic or amino acid compound.