Reconfigurable logic operations for fluorescent sensing of drug resistant and/or hypoxic cancer cells

Precision diagnosis is of great importance and can be achievable through information processing sensors. A distyryl pyridinium BODIPY decorated with nitroreductase and esterase enzyme responsive modules is shown to display configurable fluorescence read out upon enzyme-catalysed elimination reaction creating pyridine distyryl BODIPYs. Discrimination of the cellular profile, i.e. drug resistance and hypoxic microenvironment, is achieved with a single molecule through reconfigurable molecular logic gate operations.