Crosslinked compositions formed from water-insoluble copolymers are disclosed.
These compositions are copolymers having a bioresorbable region, a hydrophilic
region and at least two cross-linkable functional groups per polymer chain. Crosslinking
of these polymers can be effected in solution in organic solvents or in solvent-free
systems. If crosslinking occurs in a humid environment, a hydrogel will form. If
crosslinking occurs in a non-humid environment, a xerogel will form which will
form a hydrogel when exposed to a humid environment and the resulting crosslinked
materials form hydrogels when exposed to humid environments. These hydrogels are
useful as components in medical devices such as implantable prostheses. In addition,
such hydrogels are useful as delivery vehicles for therapeutic agents and as scaffolding
for tissue engineering applications.