The host group (Professor Bradley of the University of Edinburgh) has worked in the area of polymer chemistry for a large number of years in several different areas, specifically: (i). The development of polymeric microspheres and their application in the cellular delivery of a variety of cargos and (ii). The discovery of polymeric substrates, surfaces and gels that control cellular function. The basis of my proposal is to synergistically combine these two areas of research expertise and generate a family of totally novel new materials with a rich biomedical potential. Concretely the two research areas (i) and (ii) will be brought together but with an added twist – specifically the project will target the generation of polymers and linkers designed to be cleaved or fragmented in the proximity of diseased tissues, cancers or regions of high oxidative stress. The nature of the environment will subsequently trigger the delivery of a cargo; entrapped within the polymer or attached to the linker; into cells or tissues at specific sites of infection, injury or disease, thereby allowing the control or modulation of specific biomedical processes.