Orthogonally "clickable" biodegradable dendrons

A new class of biodegradable polyester dendrons which are orthogonally functionalizable have been synthesized and their multifunctionality has been demonstrated. The surface of these dendrons were appended with alkyne groups that can undergo efficient Huisgen type "click" cycloaddition reaction, while their focal point consists of a reactive maleimide group that can undergo facile conjugation with thiol containing molecules. Multiarm poly(ethylene glycol) polymer with a maleimide-based reactive focal point was synthesized using such a dendron. Solubilization of a hydrophobic dye, BODIPY-SH, in aqueous solution via conjugation to these reactive multiarm PEGs demonstrate possible applications of such dendrons to design water-soluble scaffolds for drug delivery.