Several senes of novel acrylate and methacrylate monomers have been prepared from dipeptides. These monomers were derived from the (S)-Ser-(S)-Ala, (S)-Ser-(S)-Phe, and (S)-Ser-(S)-Pro dipeptides and contained a polymerisable group in the side chain of the serine residue. The polymerisation of the dipeptide monomer by free radical polymerisation provided a route to novel poly(peptides). The amino acid derived monomers were found to copolymerise with methyl methacrylate to provide copolymers with non-linear correlations between the percentage incorporation of chiral monomer and the value of specific rotation. The protecting groups present in the poly(peptide) were then removed in one step, to provide polymers and copolymers with significantly different solubility properties to the parent polymers. Furthermore, a series of novel acrylate and methacrylate monomers were prepared from a tripeptide. These monomers were derived from the (S)-Ala-(S)-Ser-(S)-Phe tripeptide and contained a polymerisable group in the side chain of the serine residue. The tripeptide was polymerised under free radical conditions to provide novel polymeric materials which again displayed non-linear correlations between the percentage incorporation of chiral monomer and the value of specific rotation. In a separate project, the combination of multifunctional initiators and the use of lysine residues to introduce branch points into poly(amino acids) has enabled the synthesis of novel highly branched poly(amino acids).