A novel class of antimicrobial polymeric agents, which include a plurality
of amino acid residues, such as positively charged amino acid residues,
and at least one hydrophobic residue linking there between. such as an
omega-amino-fatty acid residue designed to exert antimicrobial activity
while being stable, non-toxic and avoiding development of resistance
thereto and a process of preparing same are disclosed. Further disclosed
are pharmaceutical compositions containing same and a method of treating
medical conditions associated with pathological microorganisms, a medical
device, an imaging probe and a food preservative utilizing same. Further
disclosed are conjugates of an amino acid residue and a hydrophobic
moiety residue and a process of preparing same.