Bioorthogonal reactions transformed our ability to observe and study biomolecules in their native environment and manipulate their activity in vivo. These biocompatible reactions enable highly selective covalent modification of the biomolecule of interest under physiological conditions. Our research topic focuses on the development of bioorthogonally applicable fluorescent dyes that offer improved imaging in terms of resolution by suppressing auto- and background fluorescence.

Super-resolution microscopy techniques – based on the detection of the fluorescent signal – enable highly precise visualization of biomolecular processes. Single molecule localization (SML) based techniques generally offer excellent resolution of biological structures. However, most of these techniques are limited to fixed cells. Our research aims at developing new techniques and probes that may allow general extension of SMLM to live systems.

Our research efforts also involve the design, synthesis and application of non-canonical amino acids that are suitable for incorporation into proteins using genetic code extension technique. These non-canonical amino acids bear various unique functions e.g., bioorthogonal, photo-cleavable.

Targeted drug delivery is an advanced method that allows high concentrations of the drug compounds selectively inside or in the proximity of target cells. Our group is engaged in research, which utilize photolabile motifs for the selective release of drugs. Besides conventional targeting solutions, light-based approaches offer extra level of spatiotemporal control over drug activation.