Amplified unmasking of fluorophores in a spatially addressable fashion

ORGN 493

Tiffany P. Gustafson, tgustaf3@du.edu and Andrei G. Kutateladze, akutatel@du.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, FW Olin Hall, 202, 2190 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO 80208-2436
A new method for amplified unmasking of fluorophores has been developed. This technique incorporates the use of a dithiane aldehyde adduct as an internal quencher that is cleaved upon contact with a photosensitizer. In order for amplification to occur this masked fluorophore is imbedded in a bulk material of dithiane adducts of diaryl ketones. These diaryl ketones are masked sensitizers capable of carrying an amplification chain. When a small amount of sensitizer comes into contact with the bulk masked sensitizer, and is exposed to light, mass release of dithiane takes place unmasking the sensitizer resulting in amplification. When the sensitizer meets the imbedded masked fluorophore the quencher is released and fluorescence is recovered. The result is a process for the amplified unmasking of fluorophores affording the spatial addressability necessary in bioanalytical applications.