Synthesis and Functionalization of Biodegradable Second Harmonic Generation Nanoprobes for Cell Targeting.

Optical imaging technologies and cell targeting have played a major role in detecting and treating diseases such as cancer. Bioharmonophores are optical imaging nanoprobes composed of biodegradable polymer-encapsulated, self-assembling triphenylalanine peptides. They produce a strong second harmonic generation (SHG) signal, a non-linear optical process in which two photons directed at a non-centrosymmetric medium combine to form a new photon with twice the energy.