Remote light-controlled intracellular target recognition by photochromic fluorescent glycoprobes
- Journal:
- Nature Communications
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1038/s41467-017-01137-8
- Affiliations:
- 5
- Authors:
- 8
Research Highlight
Probing the future of diagnostic tools
© Henrik5000/Getty
An
international team of scientists has developed a powerful new probe that uses light to monitor the
condition of cells, opening the door for more advanced devices for diagnosing
diseases, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
Advances
in optical imaging techniques like fluorescence-based biosensors, offer the
potential for improved monitoring and analysis of diseases in live cells.
However, the complexity of cells as well as changes in the cellular
microenvironment, such as changes in salt and pH levels, interfere with their
ability to selectively target cells, diminishing their effectiveness.
Chinese
and Dutch scientists, including researchers from the East China University of
Science and Technology in Shanghai, have developed a photochromic fluorescent
probe, which uses ultraviolet and visible light to reversibly switch between isomeric
states, causing the probe to fluoresce, and can be remotely controlled by light,
offering greater precision in cell targeting.
The
work lays the foundation for more powerful bioimaging probes.
References
- Nat. Commun., 8, 987 (2017). doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01137-8