Bioimaging has been a powerful tool in unraveling the molecular origins of disease by determining the locations and interactions of biomolecules in cells or in living animals. The major roadblock that has prevented bioimaging from reaching its full potential is the lack of chemical probes that permit dynamic imaging as a function of time. To address this problem, I have developed a new class of small-molecule fluorescent chemical probes, termed 'self-destructing fluorophores', which are redesigned to meet this critical need. These reagents are based on latent fluorophores, which are masked fluorescent dyes that get transformed into their bright form by a mask-removing reaction with a biomolecule. To permit dynamic bioimaging, we have incorporated a molecular 'suicide switch' moiety into the chemical structure of the dyes that is responsible for switching off the dye's fluorescence, leading to transient fluorescence of the unmasked probe rather than a persistent fluorescence.

Self-destructing latent fluorophores for dynamic biological imaging

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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