Long lived BSA Au clusters as a time gated intensity imaging probe

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Nanotechnology
• Fluorescence Imaging

Background:

• Autofluorescence in biological samples significantly hinders imaging specificity.
• Existing fluorescence imaging techniques struggle with background noise, limiting clarity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel imaging probe for enhanced cellular and tissue fluorescence imaging.
• To utilize long lifetime clusters for time-gated imaging, overcoming autofluorescence interference.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) protected Gold (Au) clusters with long luminescence lifetimes (>1 μs).
• Implementation of time-gated intensity imaging by collecting emission signals 50 ns post-excitation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the efficacy of BSA Au clusters as a time-gated imaging probe.
• Achieved significantly enhanced clarity and specificity in fluorescence imaging by suppressing background autofluorescence.

Conclusions:

• Long lifetime BSA Au clusters are effective for time-gated fluorescence imaging.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for clearer visualization of biological structures in cells and tissues.