University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated

Unm Rainforest Innovations

Lina Cui

Ying Wang

Kelton Schleyer

Xiaowei Ma

Philip Deenik

Jun Liu

In this vein, we present CTLAP, a fluorogenic probe that is rapidly activated by CTL and displays good selectivity over CTB and CTV, the closest competing analytes for CTL activity probes. CTLAP exhibits intrinsically low background fluorescence, which we attribute to the notably low quantum yield measured for the probe. CTLAP demonstrates markedly higher turn-on ratios (24-fold) and moderately improved enzyme selectivity (6- to 10-fold) when compared to Z-FR-AMC (10-fold turn-on ratio, 6- to 7-fold selectivity), a commercially available CTL-selective probe commonly used to detect CTL activity in mixed samples. Optimum selectivity for CTL is achieved within 10 min of incubation with the enzyme, suggesting that CTLAP is amenable for rapid detection of CTL, even in the presence of competing cathepsins.

Probe for detection of cathepsin activity

A probe comprising a biomarker-triggered moiety, a near infrared (NIR) fluorophore reporter, a self-immolative linker and a self-immobilizing moiety for visualization of senescent cells and methods of use thereof.

Near infrared small molecule probes for the detection of cellular senescence

Growing community of inventors

Gainesville, FL, United States of America

Lina Cui