This article deals with (1) synthesis of novel cyclic carbonate monomer (2-oxo [1,3]dioxan-5-yl)carbamic acid benzyl ester (CAB) containing protected amino groups; (2) ring-opening copolymerization of the cyclic monomer with L-lactide (LA) to provide novel degradable poly(ester-carbonate)s with functional groups; (3) removal of the protective benzyloxycarbonyl (Cbz) groups by catalytic hydrogenation to afford the corresponding poly(ester-co-carbonate)s with free amino groups; (4) grafting of oligopeptide Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Tyr (GRGDSY, abbreviated as RGD) onto the copolymer pendant amino groups in the presence of 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI). The structures of P(LA-co-CA/RGD) and its precursor were confirmed by H-1 NMR analysis. Cell experiments showed that P(LA-co-CA/RGD) had improved adhesion and proliferation behavior. Therefore, the novel RGD-grafted block copolymer is promising for cell or tissue engineering applications. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7022-7032, 2008