Poly(gamma-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG) gels with highly oriented alpha-helix chains were prepared by the crosslinking of PBLG chains through changes in the concentration of ethylenediamine, used as a crosslinker, in 1,4-dioxane in the presence of the strong magnetic field of an NMR magnet with a strength of 10.5 T. The experimental results showed that in one of these gels, long channels with an average diameter of about 100 mum were formed by phase separation between crosslinked PBLG and the solvent. Furthermore, three-dimensional H-1-NMR imaging patterns showed that the long channels were aligned in the direction parallel to the a-helix axis. The PBLG gel was swollen in the direction perpendicular to the a-helix axis, but it was not swollen in the direction parallel to the a-helix axis. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the gel showed that the inter-chain distance between the two nearest neighboring PBLG chains changed from 13.4 to 18.1 Angstrom with a change in the swelling degree. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.