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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
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Fluorescence Lifetime Macro Imager for Biomedical Applications
Published on: April 7, 2023
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Chemical fluorophores for fluorescence lifetime imaging
Clarissa Lim1,2,3, Deborah Seah2,3, Marc Vendrell2,3
1School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371, Singapore.
Chemical Society Reviews
|January 7, 2026
Summary
Fluorescence lifetime imaging offers detailed molecular insights but needs better probes. New chemical designs for fluorescence lifetime probes enhance live-cell imaging and data analysis for biological systems.
Area of Science:
- Chemical Biology
- Bioimaging
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) provides robust molecular insights into subcellular environments, independent of concentration and excitation power.
- Current FLIM applications are limited by a lack of fluorophores with broad dynamic ranges and responsiveness to biological stimuli.
- Advances in organic fluorophore design are crucial for overcoming these limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in the chemical design of fluorescence lifetime probes.
- To highlight their applications in multiplexed live-cell imaging and molecular interaction visualization.
- To discuss computational innovations in data acquisition and analysis for FLIM.
Main Methods:
- Chemical synthesis of organic fluorophores with tailored optical properties.
- Integration of optical reporters with targeting moieties (ligands, peptides, proteins).
- Application of probes in live-cell imaging and analysis using advanced computational methods.
Main Results:
- Development of novel fluorescence lifetime probes with improved dynamic ranges and responsiveness.
- Successful visualization of molecular and cellular interactions using multiplexed live-cell imaging.
- Integration of computational tools for enhanced FLIM data acquisition and analysis.
Conclusions:
- Chemically designed fluorescence lifetime probes are essential for advancing bioimaging.
- Future research should focus on bridging chemistry and bioimaging for strategic insights.
- Continued innovation in probe design and computational analysis will drive the field of FLIM.
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