Organic Fluorescent Probes for Diagnostics and Bio-Imaging

Fluorescence bio-imaging holds potential for new approaches for disease detection and diagnosis. Compared with conventional clinical contrast imaging modalities, such as X-ray and MRI, which use contrast agents that are “always on,” fluorescence imaging contrast agents can readily be designed to be activatable under specific circumstances and also can be used in multiplexed imaging schemes. While a wide variety of fluorescence imaging probes have been developed, small organic fluorescence probes have the advantages of being robustly synthesized and characterized, as well as a track record for clinical translation. In this chapter, we discuss organic fluorophores and highlighted some examples of their biological applications. The aim of this chapter is to provide a literature review of the development of organic fluorescent probes for biomedical imaging and diagnosis.