DEVELOPMENT OF NEW FLUORESCENT SUBSTRATES

MOLECULAR PROBES, INC. PROPOSES TO DEVELOP IMPROVED FLUOROPHORES ON WHICH TO BASE FLUORESCENT ENZYME SUBSTRATES. THE FLUOROPHORES WILL HAVE HIGHER SENSITIVITY THAN THOSE IN CURRENT USE AND ARE DESIGNED TO HAVE LOWER INTERFERENCE FROM SAMPLE AUTOFLUORESCENCE. SOME OF THE FLUOROPHORES WILL HAVE SPECTRAL PROPERTIES DESIGNED TO PERMIT USE OF LOW-COST, LONG-WAVELENGTH EXCITATION SOURCES. NEW WAYS OF QUENCHING BACKGROUND FLUORESCENCE FROMTHE SUBSTRATE WILL BE INVESTIGATED, AS WILL NEW METHODS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND LOCALIZATION OF FLUORESCENCE IN ENZYMATIC PRODUCTS. THE INTENT OF THE RESEARCH IS TO FIRST IMPROVE THE SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF THE DYES USED AS A BASIS OF SUBSTRATES, AND TO DEVISE UNIQUE METHODS USING FLUORESCENT SUBSTRATES. THESE NEW FLUOROPHORES AND METHODS WILL BE USED TO PREPARE SUBSTRATES FOR DISEASE DETECTION AND CELLULAR STUDIES. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH UTILIZING NEW SUBSTRATES WILL BE SUPPORTED IN SEVERAL AREAS. THESE INCLUDE MONITORING GENE INCORPORATION, ENZYME DEVELOPMENT, CELL VIABILITY AND TRACING, RECEPTOR-MEDIATED ENDOCYTIC PROCESSES, AND FLOW CYTOMETRIC ENZYMATIC ANALYSIS.