Research

1. Mass Spectrometry for Single Cell Analysis

        Due to the limitation of spectral bandwidth, it is hard to detect multiple components simultaneously for fluorescent probes. In comparison, mass spectrometry is a label-free technique that could achieve simultaneous detection of various components, even provide the structure information of unknown molecules. Thus, it is essential to develop MS-based methods for multiple analysis at single-cell levels. Recently, we develop Probe ESI to detect metabolites at unicellular and sub-cellular levels. We also develop Pulsed Direct Current ESI for single-cell metabolomic analysis.

2. Fluorescent Probe and Sub-cellular Imaging Analysis

         Our group studies on the novel near-infrared (NIR) probes based on cyanine dyes. We design and synthesize a new “turn-on” NIR fluorescent probe for the detection of nitroreductase (NTR). It shows an “off-on” fluorescent response to NTR at the wavelength of 720 nm in the presence of an electron donor, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), and the fluorescence emission intensity takes ~80 fold increase. We develop a boronate-functioned hemicyanine-naphthol hybrid as a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe for detecting hydrogen peroxide. We also develop CyMito for mitochondrial localization and CyLyso for lysosome localization, and accomplish the selective-localization imaging in sub-cellular area.

3. Metal Probe and DNA Analysis

        Stable metal isotopes as probe coupled with ICP-MS analysis can achieve simultaneous determination of multicomponent biological molecules, and make accurate and precise quantitative study. Based on this conception of multiplexing analysis, our group designed a series of rare earth isotope probes and 15 DNA targets were simultaneously detected by these elemental labeling tags. These probes we designed can be used in isotope dilution analysis, therefore, besides the simultaneous determination of multiplexing DNA analysis, the quantification of DNA could be implemented, which provides a new idea for accurate quantification of important biological molecules.