The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Wai Tung Leung

Benzhong Tang

Yuning Hong

Sijie Chen

Haiqin Deng

Engui Zhao

Tsz Kin Kwok

Meijuan Jiang

Ni Xie

Chen Gui

Lucia Viglianti

Zhiming Wang

Tsz Kin Ryan Kwok

Yueyue Zhao

The present subject matter relates to ATE luminogens for visualization and treatment of cancer, particularly AIE luminogenic probes for cancer cell visualization and discrimination, lysosome-targeting AIEgens for imaging and autophagy visualization, highly fluorescent AIE-active theranostic agents for monitoring drug distribution and having anti-tumor activity to specific cancer cells, probes comprising AIE luminogens for cancer cell imaging and staining, AIE luminogens having clusteroluminogenic features and applications thereof, and methods of preparing thereof.

Aie luminogens for visualization and treatment of cancer

The present subject matter relates to a one-step method of detecting and quantifying cardiolipin in a sample using a positively charged AIE luminogen by introducing the AIE luminogen to a solution containing the sample and measuring fluorescence intensity of the solution; a method of quantifying isolated mitochondria using a positively charged AIE luminogen by staining a sample containing isolated mitochondria with the AIE luminogen and measuring the fluorescence intensity; and a method of quantifying isolated mitochondria using a positively charged AIE luminogen by introducing the AIE luminogen to a sample containing isolated mitochondria, wherein the AIE luminogen stains the isolated mitochondria and identifying the stained isolated mitochondria under microscope. With improved sensitivity and excellent selectivity to CL over other major mitochondrial membrane lipids, an aggregation-induced emission-active fluorogen, TTAPE-Me, may serve as a valuable fluorescent sensor for CL detection and quantification and the quantification of isolated mitochondria.

Specific detection and quantification of cardiolipin and isolated mitochondria by positively charged AIE fluorogens and method of manufacturing thereof

AIE (aggregation-induced emission)-active TPE derivatives, TPE-TPP, TPE-MitoR and TPE-IQ are contemplated. These specific TPE derivatives are useful as fluorescent agents for mitochondrial imaging and as apoptosis inducers. Possessing high specificity to mitochondria, superior photostability and appreciable tolerance to microenvironment change, TPE derivatives are well-suited imaging agents for mitochondrial targeting and morphological change tracking. Because of their synthetic flexibility, TPE derivatives can be further modified as dual-functional probes for an array of applications such as sensing of ROS, metal ions, or pH change in mitochondria.

Photostable AIE luminogens for specific mitochondrial imaging and its method of manufacturing thereof

Compounds that exhibit aggregation induced emission (AIE), and more particularly to water-soluble conjugated polyene compounds that exhibit aggregation induced emission. The conjugated polyene compounds can be used as bioprobes for DNA detection, G-quadruplex identification, and potassium-ion sensing. The polyenes also can be utilized as an external fluorescent marker to study conformational structures, to monitor folding processes of label-free oligonucleotides with G-rich strand sequences, and to visualize DNA bands in PAGE assay. The polyenes have applications in high-throughput anticancer drug screening and are useful for the development of efficient anti-cancer drugs. Furthermore, the present subject matter can also be used to monitor fibrillation of amyloid proteins and to facilitate the storage and delivery thereof.

Water-soluble AIE luminogens for monitoring and retardation of fibrillation of amyloid proteins

Pyridine-containing polyenes and their applications as metal ion sensors. These polyenes are practically nonluminescent in the solution state but become highly emissive as nanoparticle suspensions in aqueous solutions or thin films in the solid state, due to aggregation-induced emission (AIE). The nanoaggregates of these compounds can work as 'turn-off' fluorescent chemosensors for metal ions and display different fluorescence responses to various metal ions. For example, a characteristic red shift in the emission spectra is observed with a terpyridine-containing luminogen in the presence of Zn. However, the terpyridine-containing luminogen displays a magenta color upon selectively binding with Fe. This allows easy identification of both Znand Feions in aqueous media. The function of the polyenes can be easily tuned by altering the substituent groups. Due to their AIE properties, these polyenes can be used in aqueous solutions and in solid substrates for metal sensing.

Aggregation-induced emission luminogens for metal ion detection

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Hong Kong, China

Wai Tung Leung