Fluorescent labels, commonly used in highly sensitive analytical techniques for detecting and tracking biomolecules in critical fields like cellular biology, medicine, medicinal chemistry, and environmental science, are currently too expensive for routine use in standard applications, with most exhibiting small Stokes shifts. This limitation underscores the potential of 4-diethylaminobenzaldehyde derivatives as a cost-effective alternative for developing new, bright fluorophores with larger Stokes shifts. In this work, using 4-diethylaminobenzaldehyde as starting material, we developed a simple, cost-effective, and efficient synthetic strategy to produce new affordable small molecules as effective fluorescent labels for biomolecules. Density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory calculations were also conducted to gain insights into the observed photophysical properties.
This sounds like a solid step forward in democratizing access to advanced imaging tools. The high cost of current fluorescent labels has definitely been a barrier for routine or large-scale use, especially in resource-limited labs. Curious—how do these 4-diethylaminobenzaldehyde-based fluorophores perform in terms of photostability and quantum yield compared to commercial dyes like Alexa Fluor or FITC? Also, any plans to test them in live-cell imaging or just in vitro for now?
Thank you for your interest in the 4-diethylaminobenzaldehyde-based fluorophores! While I agree that these fluorophores show promise in democratizing access to advanced imaging tools, we currently do not have plans to test them in live-cell imaging due to budget constraints.
It’s true that their performance in terms of photostability and quantum yield compared to commercial dyes like Alexa Fluor or FITC is worth exploring. However, at this moment, we are focusing on the findings shared in the article, which I found quite interesting.
If circumstances change in the future, we may reconsider testing these fluorophores further.