Bis-MPA (or 2,2-Bis(methylol)propionic acid) is an aliphatic, pro-chiral molecule comprised of two hydroxyls and one carboxylic group that has been used in the synthesis of many different types of polymers. Dendrons synthesized from bis-MPA are biodegradable and have low cytotoxicity, making them well suited for use in biological research applications. These materials have been used in many applications such as signal amplification in bioassays and in drug delivery applications. Both the amine-functionalized dendrimers (after Boc deprotection) and carboxylic acid-functionalized core can be readily used in EDC or DCC coupling reactions with carbonyl or amine-containing compounds, respectively, to yield highly functionalized materials for a variety of biomedical applications.