Multivalent dendrons for high-affinity adhesion of proteins to DNA.

Protein functionalization constitutes a particularly interesting target for biopharmaceutical applications, which increasingly relies on monodisperse proteinpolymer conjugates having controllable therapeutic properties.[1,2] Proteins modified with precisely controlled polymeric materials have the potential to exhibit a wide range of improved biological effects.[3] Linear polymers have been studied as part of proteinpolymer hybrids, however they induce a degree of heterogeneity in form of both the attached polymer and often the protein attachment sites, resulting in varying biochemical properties. Dendritic macromolecules offer several advantages over linear polymers, for example, a precisely defined branched structure with a high density of functional surface groups that can offer multiple simultaneous interactions leading to enhanced binding – the principle known as multivalency.[4,5]