Development of Anion Responsive Metal Complexes for use in Live Cell Imaging

使用磁共振成像（MRI）对大脑进行成像，彻底改变了我们对大脑运作复杂性的理解。然而，由于与光学成像相比，MR成像固有的不敏感性，在细胞水平上可视化化学事件仍然非常困难。我们将通过创建一系列发光金属络合物来解决这个问题，这些络合物被调谐为检测某些生物活性阴离子，从而允许使用高分辨率荧光显微镜实时可视化神经细胞中的代谢事件。这样的探针将被设计成在神经激活时响应其生化环境的变化。至关重要的是，它们将非侵入性地检测周围环境的变化，并将原位应用于研究活细胞电路，该电路是在化学系的一个合作博士项目中开发的。

Imaging of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionised our understanding of the brain's operational complexity. However, due to the intrinsic insensitivity of MR Imaging compared to optical imaging, it is still very difficult to visualise chemical events at the cell level. We will tackle this problem by creating a series of luminescent metal complexes tuned to detecting certain bioactive anions, thereby allowing real-time visualisation of metabolic events in nerve cells using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Such probes will be designed to respond to changes in their biochemical environment upon neural activation. Crucially, they will detect changes in their surroundings non-invasively and will be applied in situ to study living cell-circuits, developed in a collaborative PhD project within the department of Chemistry.