CAREER: Triggered Energy Transfer Chemiluminescence for In Vivo Imaging

南卫理公会大学化学系的Alexander R. Lippert教授在化学结构、动力学和机制B项目资助的CAREER项目中，正在开发用于生物成像的反应性荧光棒化学（化学发光）。该项目旨在合成和理解响应生物事件自发发光的特殊分子。掌握这种在萤火虫和水母中发现的基本化学现象，为测量和可视化生物过程核心的化学提供了新的方法。多色化学发光的视觉吸引力将用于激励从K-12到研究生的下一代学生，通过研讨会、K-12研究机会和旨在在科学背景下教授创造性过程的课程来鼓励科学创造力的集中推广主题。触发化学发光通过消除自身荧光、光漂白和传统荧光成像技术特有的其他问题，有可能极大地改变野生型生物的生物成像，但需要在理解分子结构如何影响化学发光发射方面取得根本进展。该项目旨在合成、表征和理解新型触发化学发光显像剂，这些显像剂的结构设计旨在操纵能量转移过程。需要解决的基本问题包括：1)化学发光激发态的能量如何通过穿越空间和穿越键的能量转移机制有效地转移，从而增强发光发射？2)什么样的分子结构能够调整近红外和比例读数的发射波长？3)如何用时空控制的照明动态触发化学发光发射，以最大限度地提高感兴趣区域的背景信号？

In this CAREER project funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics & Mechanisms B Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Alexander R. Lippert of the Department of Chemistry at Southern Methodist University is developing responsive glow stick chemistry (chemiluminescence) for biological imaging. The project aims to synthesize and understand specialized molecules that spontaneously emit light in response to biological events. Mastering this fundamental chemical phenomenon found in fireflies and jellyfish provides new methods to measure and visualize the chemistry that lies at the heart of biological processes. The visual appeal of multi-colored chemiluminescence will be used to inspire future generations of students from K-12 to the graduate level with a centralized outreach theme of encouraging scientific creativity through seminars, K-12 research opportunities, and coursework aimed at teaching the creative process in a scientific context.Triggered chemiluminescence has the potential to dramatically transform biological imaging in wild-type organisms by eliminating autofluorescence, photobleaching, and other issues endemic to traditional fluorescence imaging techniques, but fundamental advances in understanding how molecular structure affects chemiluminescence emission is required. This project aims to synthesize, characterize, and understand new classes of triggered chemiluminescent imaging agents structurally designed to manipulate energy transfer processes. Fundamental questions to be addressed include: 1) How can the energy in a chemiluminescent excited state be efficiently transferred by through-space and through-bond energy transfer mechanisms to enhance luminescence emission? 2) What molecular structures will enable tuning of emission wavelengths for near-infrared and ratiometric readouts? 3) How can chemiluminescence emission be dynamically triggered with spatiotemporally controlled illumination to maximize signal to background in a region of interest?