Poly[2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl phosphorylcholine] -modified gold surfaces, which have been newly prepared by a 'grafting to' method using a series of monosulfanyl-terminated PMPC, are characterized by protein adsorption experiments based on surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and ellipsometry measurements. The extent of BSA adsorption on PMPC-modified surfaces was systematically reduced for thicker PMPC layers, thus the number of MPC units on the gold surface appears to be an important factor for the excellent protein resistance offered by PMPC-modified gold surfaces fabricated by the 'grafting to' method, which is sharp contrast to that of PEG tethered chains.