Biophotonics uses chromophores, synthetic molecules able to interact with visible, UV or infrared rays, to analyse or modify biological objects. To make them compatible with physiological medium, chromophores must become hydrosoluble while keeping their photophysical properties. The laboratory offers new hydrosoluble chromophores in this way.

Two-photon chromophores are very hydrophobic molecules. To make them become hydrosoluble, the laboratory has set up a new chemical strategy which consists in growing an hydrophylic polymeric chain from a chromophoric macroinitiator. This functionalization is done by controlled polymerisation which would also allow control of biodisponibility, selectivity and toxicity of chromophores.