COMMUNICATING WITH FLUORESCENT MOLECULAR SENSORS IN A BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT

Fluorescent molecular sensors have become valuable tools in the analytical biosciences owing to their high sensitivity and their ability to track proteins in their native environment. A major limitation in using these probes, however, is the lack of a general and easily applicable method for providing them with high selectivity and high signal-to-noise ratios. In addition, many of these sensors are designed according to the "lock and key" paradigm; therefore, they cannot be used to analyze biomolecule combinations.

In our group, we aim to address these problems by developing novel classes of fluorescent molecular sensors.^1-3 I present our recent development of fluorescent switches that light up in the presence of specific protein biomarkers, as well as probes that can shed light on analyte combinations in biofluids. In addition, the design of a sensory system that utilizes both specific and non-specific interactions for distinguishing between protein isoforms will be discussed.

References

[1] L. Motiei, Z. Pode, A. Koganitsky, D. Margulies, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 9289-9293.

[2] L. Unger-Angel, B. Rout, T. Ilani, M. Eisenstein, L. Motiei, D. Margulies, Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 5419-5425.

[3] B. Rout, L. Motiei, D. Margulies, Synlett, 2014, 25, 1050-1054.