Organic Chemistry Seminar – Esther Dodson, Chemistry PhD Student

About the event

Title: A ratiometric near-IR fluorescent BODIPY probe for in vivo tracking of β-galactosidase activity

Abstract: β-Galactosidase (β-Gal) is an important biomarker for metastatic ovarian cancers, with β-Gal being overexpressed in cancer cells compared to healthy ovarian tissue. Fluorescent imaging of in vivo β-Gal activity has become an accepted method for diagnostic screening and evaluation of cancers. Several fluorescent probes have previously been reported for tracking β-Gal, however these probes suffer from limited tissue penetration due to their short-wavelength fluorescence and from imprecise quantification due to their ON/OFF sensing design. The fluorescent 1,3-dimethyl-BODIPY scaffold can be readily functionalized in order to create new tunable near-IR fluorescent reporters. The BODIPY-βgal probe presented herein allows for near-IR, dual-channel ratiometric tracking of β-Gal activity, as well as real-time in vivo visualization of β-Gal activity in mice models.