According to scitechdaily.com, researchers at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have developed color-changing dyes that can visualize multiple biological environments simultaneously

The dyes are fluorescent and can be used with a single dye

Because the light coming from inside the cells is of a different color and occurs within a different time window to the light coming from the same dye inside the delivery vessels, the researchers can use a technique called “fluorescence lifetime imaging” (FLIM) to distinguish between the two environments in real-time

Here’s some information about how cells change color:

• Cell regeneration Cells regenerate on average every 7–10 years, but there’s a lot of variation. For example, skin cells are replaced every few weeks, while skeletal muscle cells can take up to 15 years to regenerate. 
• Conditional formatting You can use conditional formatting to automatically change cell color based on date. For example, you can highlight the range A1:A100, press Apply conditional formatting, and then apply a custom rule. You can write the rule as “=A1-today() < 30′”, and choose green. 
• Color of cells The more melanin in the cells, the darker the color will be. For example, red blood cells are red because of a pigment called hemoglobin, which is responsible for oxygen transport within the bloodstream. 

According to scitechdaily.com, researchers at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have developed fluorescent, color-changing dyes that can visualize multiple biological environments simultaneously

The dyes can light up cellular activity, allowing for “cellular time travel”. The researchers’ work could revolutionize bio-sensing and imaging approaches. 

The RCSI is a not-for-profit medical professional and educational institution that was established in 1784. It is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Here is some more information on fluorescence lifetime imaging. 

Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is an imaging technique that uses the differences in the exponential decay rate of the photon emission of a fluorophore from a sample. FLIM can be used as an imaging technique in confocal microscopy, two-photon excitation microscopy, and multiphoton tomography. 

The fluorescence lifetime of the fluorophore, rather than its intensity, is used to create the image in FLIM. Fluorescence lifetime depends on the local micro-environment of the fluorophore, thus precluding any erroneous measurements in fluorescence intensity due to change in brightness of the light source, background light intensity or limited photo-bleaching. This technique also has the advantage of minimizing the effect of photon scattering in thick layers of sample. Being dependent on the micro-environment, lifetime measurements have been used as an indicator for pH, viscosity and chemical species concentration. 

In the case of the researchers mentioned in the article, they are using FLIM to distinguish between the light coming from inside the cells and the light coming from the same dye inside the delivery vessels. Because the light coming from inside the cells is of a different color and occurs within a different time window to the light coming from the same dye inside the delivery vessels, the researchers can use FLIM to distinguish between the two environments in real time.

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin, working together with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), have developed special fluorescent, color-changing dyes that, for the first time, can be used to simultaneously visualize multiple distinct biological environments using only one singular dye

When these dyes are encapsulated in delivery vessels, like those used in technologies like the COVID-19 vaccines, they “switch on” and give out light via a process called “aggregation-induced emission” (AIE). Soon after delivery into the cells their light “switches off” before “switching on” again once the cells shuttle the dyes into cellular lipid droplets.

Because these dyes can help scientists map the intricate structures within living cells with such high contrast and specificity, they could help illuminate how drugs are taken up and metabolized by cells or allow scientists to design and conduct a range of new experiments to better our understanding of the complex inner workings of cells and their all-important biochemical machinery.

In the published journal article, the scientists focused on using the dyes to image cellular lipid (fat) droplets, which are one example of important “organelles” that make up living cells in most complex organisms (like us humans).

Lipid droplets, once considered to be simple “fat reservoirs”, are now believed to play an important role in regulating cellular metabolism, coordinating lipid uptake, distribution, storage, and use in the cells. Because of this growing understanding of their importance, and because sudden changes in their activity often indicate cellular stress, they serve as a useful test case scenario for the dyes. One potential avenue of further research is to see whether the team can target other important cellular organelles with their dyes.

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