Probing living systems with light-responsive molecules has unlocked new perspectives on the study of biological targets, but also on clinical diagnostics and targeted therapies. However, further progress in opto-biology requires a level of precision that standard, non-specific photo-activation cannot provide. The challenge therefore lies in the development of a toolbox of light-activated probes able to trigger biological responses with high specificity and spatial resolution. This can be achieved either by designing chromophore conjugates modified with biologically-specific ligands, thus providing intrinsic targeting capabilities, or by synthesizing novel chromophores sensitive to multi-photon excitation, in which the excitation is confined to a femtolitre-sized volume.

Here, our latest advances on the design and application of probes for precision diagnostics and therapy will be presented. The synthesis of peptide-chromophore conjugates led to applications in “point-of-care”, target-specific fluorescent diagnosis of infectious diseases, and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. Further developments on multi-photon-responsive drug-delivery systems, able to elicit spatially controlled pharmacological activity under near-infrared light, will also be discussed. These two complementary molecular engineering strategies hold potential solutions to the healthcare challenges of the next decades, from early-stage diagnostics to multi-drug resistance and targeted cancer treatment.

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Speaker(s)

Maxime KLAUSEN

Dr., Chemical Probe Design Research Associate, University of Edinburgh, EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, Joseph Black Building, Edinburgh, UK