A sugar-anchor polymer and methods of making and using the same to stabilize a lipid membrane. The sugar-anchor polymer includes a sugar covalently bound to a first anchor and a second anchor wherein the covalent bonds are selected from the group consisting essentially of an oxime bond, a hydrazone bond, an acylhydrazide bond, an aminothioacetal bond, an acetal bond, a thioacetal bond, a dithioacetal bond, a thioether bond and combinations thereof. The method includes reacting a sugar having at least two nucleophilic moieties with at least two anchors, each anchor having at least one electrophilic moiety, to form the polymer. Alternatively, the method includes reacting a sugar having at least two electrophilic moieties with at least two anchors, each anchor having at least one nucleophilic moiety, to form the polymer. The anchors may be lipids or peptides. The sugar-anchor polymers stabilize lipid membranes against serum proteins, dehydration, and cryopreservation.
