Centro De Estudios Cientificos De Valdivia

Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alejandro San Martin

Wolf B Frommer

Luis Felipe Barros Olmedo

Luis Felipe Barros

Sebastian Ceballo Charpentier

Sebastian Ceballo

A nanosensor for detecting and quantifying lactate in different types of samples, such as tissues, intra-cellular and subcellular compartments, with high spatial and temporal resolution is disclosed. Methods comprising use of the nanosensor for quantifying the activity of lactate transporters, rates of cellular lactate production and cellular lactate consumption, and rate of mitochondrial pyruvate consumption are also disclosed. Methods for quantifying the transformation in energy metabolism that characterizes cancer cells with single-cell resolution and for detecting interference of candidate drugs with mitochondrial energetics are additionally disclosed.

Genetically encoded probe for quantification of lactate and methods for quantifying metabolic rates and lactate transport

The present invention relates to a new optical tool for detecting and quantifying pyruvate in samples, in tissues and in cellular and subcellular compartments, with high spatial and temporal resolution, this is a Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)-based pyruvate sensor comprising a bacterial PdhR transcription factor between any suitable donor and acceptor fluorescent proteins moieties. The invention also relates to methods of use of this novel optical tool for the quantification of the activity of pyruvate transporters, for the quantification of the rates of cellular pyruvate production and consumption, and for the direct quantification of the rate of mitochondrial pyruvate consumption in intact cells.

Genetically encoded probe for quantification of pyruvate concentration and methods of using the same

Growing community of inventors

Valdivia, Chile

Alejandro San Martin