A new aldehyde-functionalized glycomonomer, 1,2:3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-6-O-(2'-formyl-4'-vinylpheryl)-D-galactopyranose (IVDG), was designed and prepared. The "living"/controlled radical polymerization of IVDG was successfully achieved using 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) as the initiator and I-phenylethyl dithiobenzoate as the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent at 60 degrees C in tetrahydrofuran. The polymerization followed first-order kinetics, the number-average molecular weight of the obtained polymers increased in direct proportion to the monomer conversion, and the molecular weight distribution was narrow (polydispersity index < 1.1). Removal of protective isopropylidene groups from the sugar residue in polyIVDG was carried out quantitatively using 88% formic acid at room temperature, yielding a novel amphiphilic polymer containing both galactopyranose and aldehyde functionalities. These amphiphilic polymers self-assembled into well-defined aldehyde-bearing polymeric micelles in aqueous solution without recourse to any surfactant. The size of the micelles increased almost linearly with the molecular weight of polyIVDG precursor, which could be controlled directly via the aforementioned RAFT polymerization process. Protein-bioconjugated nanoparticles were also successfully prepared by the immobilization of bovine serum albumin (as a model protein) onto the aldehyde-functionalized micelles.