High-Sensitivity Probes for Immunofluorescence

Application: Immunofluorescence

Immunofluorescence is a microscopy-based technique which permits the visualization of many components in any given tissue or cell type through combinations of antibodies bound to fluorophores. Consequently, the possible applications in research and patient care are numerous. For immunofluorescence evaluation, a variety of samples can be applied: It can be performed on cultured cells or cell suspensions, on specific targets in tissue samples or entire organisms.

State of the art

One drawback of fluorescence microscopy is that fluorochromes (especially fluorescent proteins and tandem dyes) lose their capacity to emit light when irradiated for a long time due to photobleaching. Also, although the use of fluorescent reporter proteins enables analysis of living it might cause phototoxicity, particularly when a short wavelength is applied. Additionally, fluorescent dyes tend to generate reactive chemical species once illuminated, increasing the phototoxic effect. An additional issue is that only specific structures fluorescently labeled can be observed and consequently studied.

AcZon’s solution

AcZon solved this problem by applying nanoparticle protection to these sensitive dyes. In NanoChromes and NanoTandems fluorescent dyes are insulated from the external environment by the silica matrix guaranteeing long lasting stability even in harsh conditions. Thanks to this improvement even tandem dyes are exploitable in immunofluorescence applications.