Marcel P. Bruchez

Biological research has been propelled by the availability of fluorescent proteins that allow dynamic microscopy of living cells. The repertoire of intrinsically fluorescent proteins is substantially less diverse in form and function than the repertoire of chemically synthesized dye molecules, yet genetic targeting provides such a significant advantage that probes 2-10-fold less bright than typical organic dyes are routinely used in fluorescence imaging. Our work is focused on developing tools that couple the best of the synthetic dyes with the advantages of genetic targeting. These novel probes allow unique investigations of cell-biological and biochemical processes fundamental to our understanding of health and diseases.