Luminescent Switches for Fluorescence Nanoscopy

在有机化学和高分子化学项目的支持下，Francisco Raymo教授将探索在分子骨架中包含荧光基团和光致变色开关的化合物的合成。荧光团被设计成在一个波长(ON)激发时在可见光区域发射辐射。光致变色剂被设计成在激发另一个波长(关闭)时关闭荧光团的发射。基于这一独特的行为和两个激励光束的相互作用，该小组将能够以前所未有的分辨率对生物样本进行成像。事实上，他们计划首先表征分子开关的光化学和光物理性质，然后评估它们作为荧光成像发光探针的潜在应用。因此，它们的基础研究应该有助于理解控制有机分子的光化学和光物理性质的基本因素，同时为光响应性化合物和材料的设计提供可行的操作原则。除了对一般分子开关领域的直接影响外，这些发现还应该对生物医学研究产生更长期、更广泛的影响。发光开关最终可能演变成有价值的分析工具，用于以纳米级分辨率可视化生物样品。此外，这项研究计划将促进主办机构化学和神经生物学系成员之间的跨学科合作，并有助于培养化学和生物学交界处的研究生和博士后助理。此外，由于迈阿密大学的少数族裔入学率很高，尤其是西语裔，这将对代表不足的群体的成员产生重大的教育影响。

With the support of this award from the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry program, Professor Francisco Raymo will explore the synthesis of compounds incorporating a fluorescent group and a photochromic switch in their molecular skeleton. The fluorophore is designed to emit radiations in the visible region upon excitation at one wavelength (ON). The photochrome is engineered to switch the emission of the fluorophore off upon excitation at another wavelength (OFF). On the basis of this unique behavior and the interplay of two exciting beams at ON and OFF, the group will be able to image biological samples with unprecedented resolution. In fact, they plan to characterize the photochemical and photophysical properties of their molecular switches first and then assess their potential application as luminescent probes for fluorescence imaging. Thus, their fundamental investigations should contribute to the understanding of the basic factors controlling the photochemical and photophysical properties of organic molecules, while providing viable operating principles for the design of photoresponsive compounds and materials. In addition to an immediate impact on the general field of molecular switches, the findings should have more long-range broader impacts in biomedical research. The luminescent switches could eventually evolve into valuable analytical tools for the visualization of biological samples with nanoscaled resolution. Furthermore, this research program will foster an interdisciplinary collaboration between members of the Departments of Chemistry and Neurobiology of the host institution and contribute to the training of a graduate student and a postdoctoral associate at the interface of chemistry and biology. Moreover, it will have a significant educational impact on members of underrepresented groups, as a result of the high minority enrollment, most notably Hispanic, of the University of Miami.