RESEARCH

Molecular-level information obtained from synthetic probes with optimized photophysical characteristics represents a valuable method for solving many of the problems related with disease diagnosis. The sensitivity of such enhanced probes to the micro-/nanoenvironment could be tuned so that the resulting output responses could be calibrated through common analytical methods. In an ideal scenario, those molecular probes should be of low molecular weight, high photostability, high brightness so that a good signal-to-noise ratio together with short acquisition times can be obtained, and importantly, the probes should possess controlled optical properties in a given environment such that cross-talk and interference problems can be avoided.

Our research is focused on the rational design of fluorescent probes and molecular vectors that can localize into the mitochondria giving spatiotemporal as well as functional information at the subcellular level.

Featured publications:

• Jiménez-Sánchez, A.; Lei, E. K.; Kelley, S. O. A Multifunctional Chemical Probe for Local Micropolarity and Microviscosity in Mitochondria, Angew. Chim. Int. Ed. 2018, 10.1002/anie.201802796.

Analytical monitoring based on molecular profiling through different response channels allows differential detection of molecular analytes with high-throughput. In this research line we design, synthetize and characterize linear and non-linear optical molecular systems having efficient dipolar, quadrupolar and octupolar electronic arrays with selected response sites to probe selected local nanoenvironments.

Featured publications:

• Jiménez-Sánchez, A.*; Isunza Manrique, I.; Ramos-Ortiz, G.; Rodríguez-Romero, J.; Santillan, R. Strong Dipolar Effects on an Octupolar Luminiscent Chromophore: implications on their linear and nonlinear optical properties. J. Phys. Chem. A, 2016, 120, 4314–4324.
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