This research serves as a meticulous examination into cross-conjugated materials and how alterations of the frontier molecular orbitals can be utilized for applications in "chemical tongue" organic sensing devices. With conjugated materials being used in the development of new sensory devices for detection of metals, bacteria, and chemical warfare agents, the field of organic sensing is growing faster than ever. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a precedence for the synthesis of new cross-conjugated compounds and outline potential applications of these materials as chemical sensors and molecular probes.

Commercial organic dyes are widely used for cellular staining due to their small size, high brightness, and chemical functionality. However, their blinking and photobleaching are not ideal for studying dynamics inside live cells. An improvement over organics and much larger quantum dots, silver nanodots (Ag NDs) exhibit low cytotoxicity and excellent brightness and photostability, while retaining small size. We have utilized ssDNA hairpin structures to encapsulate Ag NDs with excellent spectral purity, high concentration, and good chemical and photophysical stability in a variety of biological media. Multi-color staining of fixed and live cells has been achieved, suggesting the promise of Ag NDs as good fluorophores for intracellular imaging. The great brightness and photostability of Ag nanodots indicate that they might be outstanding imaging agents for in vivo studies when encapsulated in delivery vehicles. In addition, Ag NDs can be optically modulated, resulting in increased sensitivity within high backgrounds. These good characteristics are combined with delivery vehicles such as PLGA and nanogels. After encapsulation, Ag nanodots still retain their good photophysical properties and modulation. It might be useful for in vivo applications in the near future

Les propriétés intrinsèques, photophysiques, électrochimiques et cristallographiques des molécules fluorescentes 4,4'-bis(2-benzoxazolyle)stilbène (BBS) et 2,5-bis(5-tert-butyl-2-benzoxazolyle)thiophène (BBT) ont été étudiées en solution et dans les polymères semi-cristallins : poly(butylène succinate) (PBS) et polylactide (PLA). Les deux fluorophores sont caractérisés par de hauts rendements quantiques absolus de fluorescence. Toutefois, une désactivation de la fluorescence peut se produire par croisement intersystème vers l'état triplet pour le BBT, et par photoisomérisation trans-cis pour le BBS. La cinétique de ce dernier processus dépend de la concentration, résultant en un pur isomère cis photo-induit à faibles concentrations, qui est accompagné à des concentrations élevées par l'apparition d'un composé acide après photo-clivage suivi d'une oxydation. Cette étude a révélé des changements spectroscopiques prononcés suite à l’augmentation de la concentration des fluorophores, en particulier à l'état solide, spécifiques à l'agrégation des molécules à l'état fondamental pour le BBT et à la formation d’excimères pour le BBS, permettant ainsi de corréler les propriétés fluorescentes avec les caractéristiques du monocristal pour chaque fluorophore. En outre, le passage d’une dispersion moléculaire à une séparation de phases dans le cas du BBS est accompagné d'un changement de couleur du bleu au vert, qui est sensible à la déformation, à la température et au temps, affectant les rendements quantiques absolus de fluorescence et fournissant une large opportunité à la création d'une grande variété de polymères intelligents indicateurs capables d'auto-évaluation. D’autre part, la solubilité élevée du BBT dans les solvants courants, combinée à ses propriétés optoélectroniques élevées, en font un candidat en tant que référence universelle de fluorescence et matériau intelligent à la fois pour les études de polymères et en solution. Similairement aux mélanges comprenant des polymères miscibles, l'orientation du PBS augmente après ajout d'une molécule fluorescente, dont les monomères ont tendance à être orientés dans des films étirés, contrairement aux excimères ou agrégats. / The intrinsic, photophysical, electrochemical and crystallographic properties of the fluorescent molecules 4,4'-bis(2-benzoxazolyl)stilbene (BBS) and 2,5-bis(5-tert-butyl-2-benzoxazolyl)thiophene (BBT) have been investigated in solution as well as in semi-crystalline poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and polylactide (PLA). Both fluorophores were found to be characterized by high fluorescence absolute quantum yields. However, fluorescence quenching was found to occur by intersystem crossing to the triplet state for BBT, and by trans-cis photoisomerization for BBS. The latter process was kinetically concentration-dependent, resulting in a pure photoinduced cis-isomer at low concentrations, which is accompanied at high concentrations by the appearance of an acidic compound after photocleavage followed by oxidation. This study revealed pronounced spectroscopic changes upon an increase of the fluorophore concentration, especially in the solid-state, specific to aggregation of ground state molecules for BBT or excimer formation for BBS, thus correlating the fluorescent features with the single crystal characteristics for each fluorophore. Moreover, the transformation from molecular dispersion to phase separation, occurring for BBS, is accompanied by a significant colour change from blue to green, which is sensitive to deformation, time and temperature, thus affecting the absolute fluorescence quantum yields and providing a broad opportunity for the creation of a wide variety of smart polymers with self-assessing capabilities. On the other hand, the BBT’s high solubility in common solvents combined with its measured enhanced optoelectronic properties make it a candidate as a universal fluorophore reference and smart material for both polymeric and solution studies. Similarly to blends comprising miscible polymers, the PBS orientation was found to increase by adding a fluorescent molecule, whose monomers tend to be oriented in stretched films, contrary to excimers or aggregates.

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La détection et l’identification des protéines sur gel d’électrophorèse dépend aussi bien du marqueur des protéines utilisés (généralement un marqueur fluorescent) que de ses propriétés physicochimiques propres (rendement quantique, Stokes’ shift et recouvrement des bandes d’absorption et d’émission, photoblanchiment), de sa stabilité (chimique et photochimique), et de son accessibilité. Créer une gamme de nouveaux fluorophores dont les propriétés physicochimiques peuvent être modulées en partant d’une structure bien connue et très avantageux dans l’optique d’anticiper les caractéristiques supposées des composées envisagés. Cependant, même si de nombreux fluorophores sont disponibles commercialement, ils souffrent généralement de différentes contraintes telles que leurs prix prohibitifs, leur manque de sensibilité, leur stockes’ shift trop faible ou bien encore leur stabilité. L’accès à une famille de fluorophores résolvant l’ensemble de ces contraintes pour la détection de protéines sur gel d’électrophorèse représenterait donc un réel défi. L’épicocconone, isolée du champignon Epicoccocum Nigrum, se lie de façon covalente aux amines (et donc également aux protéines) en conduisant à un adduit énaminique qui est très fluorescent. Cet adduit émet dans le rouge (610 nm) lorsqu’irradié dans l’UV (395 nm) ou le visible (520 nm). Ces propriétés ont donc conduit à l’utilisation de ce produit naturel comme marqueur fluorescent de protéines sur gel d’électrophorèse menant à une sensibilité de détection rarement atteinte et à une gamme de linéarité très importante (104). La première synthèse de l’épicocconone a alors été engagée au sein de notre laboratoire. Elle a finalement conduit à une chimiothèque d’analogues encore plus efficace ayant permis d’établir une véritable relation structure-fluorescence. / Detection and identification of proteins either in 2D electrophoresis gels or in biological media depends largely on the quality of protein sensitive dye used (generally a fluorescent dye) as well on the efficiency of their fluorescent properties (quantum yield, Stokes’ shift and overlap of excitation frequency with common laser sources), their stability (chemical and photophysical) and their accessibility. To be able to create a range of new fluorescent dyes whose profiles can be modulated starting from a proven scaffold is advantageous in terms of predicting the properties of the final products. Even if many fluorescent dyes are available on the market, they suffer from a prohibitive price, a lack of sensitivity or a restricted wavelength range (absorption/emission) or limited stability. Access to a family of fluorophores displaying similar physicochemical properties, but shifted excitation and emission wavelengths constitutes an invaluable tool Epicocconone, isolated from the fungus Epicoccum nigrum, covalently binds to primary amines (e.g. lysine of proteins), leading to a protein linked conjugate which is strongly fluorescent, emitting light in the red (610 nm) when submitted to UV-visible light (395 or 520 nm). This is a novel pro-fluorophore that allows protein quantification with unprecedented sensitivity and with an excellent linearity on a broad range of concentrations. A program of synthesis of epicocconone and analogues in order to provide a library of complementary fluorophores has been undertaken. The results concerning either the better efficiency of the analogs and the structure-fluorescence relation are presented in this dissertation.

The capability to resolve the contributions from spectroscopically overlapping fluorophores has enabled significant breakthroughs in cellular imaging. However, commercial microscopes for this purpose use analog light detection with least squares curve-fitting analysis and improvements in sensitivity are needed. To this end, a microscope has been constructed with high throughput and single-photon detection capability. The fluorescence is separated through use of a prism spectrometer or a series of dichroic mirrors into four spectral bands and detected using four single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors, which provide high-quantum efficiency in the red spectral region. The detectors are connected to a time-correlated single photon counting module to provide sub-nanosecond temporal resolution for distinguishing fluorophores with different fluorescence lifetimes. Maximum-likelihood (ML) methods have been developed for analyzing the temporally and spectrally resolved photon count data from the SPADs to find the contributions from different fluorescent species and from background. Commercially available SPADs exhibit a count-rate dependent time shift in the impulse response function, and hence the instrument incorporates custom modified SPADs with improved timing stability. Nevertheless, there is still some time shift, and hence the ML-analysis has been extended to include this as an adjustable parameter for each individual SPAD. Monte Carlo simulations have also been developed to enable studies of the number of photons needed to resolve specific fluorophores.

The present thesis entitled, "Molecular expression through fluorescence: Studies in probe design and aggregation" describes very simple bi-functional donor-acceptor poly-aromatic fluorophores that have been shown to possess distinctive properties depending on the context in which they are studied. In a sense, this work is an effort in exemplifying the inherent diversity and power of "molecular expression", with the central theme here being the phenomenon of fluorescence. The work has been divided into four chapters, each having a self-contained introduction. Chapter 1: First instance of metal ion (Zn2+) sensing exclusively at amphiphilic interfaces. (1 -pyrenyl)rnethyl-bis- [(2-pyridyl)methyl]amine (Pybpa), a simple, bi-functional fluorophore was synthesized. Pybpa has the modular design of a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) based analyte sensor. In Pybpa, a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) operates from the pyrenyl nitrogen (PyCH2-iV) to the excited pyrenyl (Py*) chromophore leading to fluorescence quenching. Zn2+ ion binding to the bis-picolyl (bpa) unit of Pybpa stops the PET process and leads to fluorescence enhancement. Thus Pybpa was able to sense Zn2+" in organic solvents. In water, however, Pybpa showed pronounced aggregation and the probe did not sense any metal ion. Surfactant micelles provide hydrophobic regions in water and the dynamic rnicellar assemblies could disrupt Pybpa aggregates. Pybpa monomers solubilized in micelles were responsive to Zn2+ in the low micro molar concentration range. The metal ion sensing on micelles was reflective of the charge of the interface. The sensing is negligible on cationic surface (CTAB), moderate on negatively charged surface (SDS micelles) and is the most efficient on neutral interface provided by TWEEN-20 micelles. With the Pybpa 'sensor*, no sensing is possible in water and hence the sensing is exclusive to the interface. Pybpa doped in membranous aggregates like phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipid bilayers, exists in monomeric form, and was able to sense Zn . The sensing on phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayer vesicles was found to depend on the fluidity of the membrane. Zn2^ sensing with interfacially bound probe "was extended to a globular protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). BSA, a carrier protein, can bind hydrophobic molecules as well as metal ions like Zn2f. BSA was shown to disrupt Pybpa aggregation and bind Pybpa in a facile manner. BSA bound Pybpa was able to sense externally added Zn2+. Biological sensing of trace amounts of Zn2+ has been considered important since Zn2+ is crucial for eukaryotic systems. This is the first example of such 'exclusive' interfacial sensing of a metal ion. Chapter 2: Towards understanding and modulating self-assembly of pyrenyl bis-picolyl a mine: Organic nanoparticles that show tunable emission. Pybpa was found to aggregate in water in the size range of 80-250 nm. Evidence of aggregation was seen at concentrations as low as 1 |iM. The nanoscopic particles formed were characterized through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Pybpa in water showed dual emission bands, with one band resernhling the emission from 'monomeric' Pybpa (as seen in solutions in organic solvents) and a broad red-shifted emission band (A,max ~ 480 ran) designated as "aggregate/nanoparticle" emission. Distinct excitation spectra for the two emission bands indicate that the bands (the '390 nm' band and the '480 nm' band) originate through distinct excitation/emission channels. The time resolved emission decay for the 'monomer' emission (397 nm) showed a substantial contribution from a long-lived pyrene-like excited state (x = 103.9 ns, 40% relative amplitude). On the other hand, the decay at 475 nm (for the nanoparticle/aggregate emission band) was considerably faster, with no evidence of any pyrene-like long-lived state. The short lifetimes indicated an exciplex nature of the red-shifted emission band, X-,nax~480 nm. The effect of temperature and urea on these aggregates was examined. The nanoparticles formed even in a concentrated urea solution (7.8 M). The aggregates formed in urea were found to be more emissive, indicating a 'looser' aggregate with reduced fluorescence quenching. Similar results were obtained on heating the aggregate. Increasing the concentration of Pybpa in water causes a change in the nature of the colloids formed as exemplified by increase in aggregate size and a decrease in the polydispersity index. Also seen was a substantial red shift in the 'aggregate emission'. At higher concentrations, the presence of three independent excitation/emission channels was observed. It is likely that a new type of aggregated Pybpa species formed at higher concentration, which emits at longer wavelength (A,rnax~540 nm), In such a scenario, it is possible to tune the emission wavelength by the choice of appropriate wavelength of excitation. Further, there is an opportunity to tailor the emission properties by controlling the aggregation behavior. The modulation of emission is one of the primary goals of research on fluorescent organic nanoparticles. Chapter 3: Photophysical properties of aryl-terpyridines in solution, solid and aggregated state: Unique CT emission from nanoparticles in water. Two aryl terpyridines, 4T-(l-pyrenyl)-2,2l:6'52fl-terpyridine (Pytpy) and 4'-(9-anthryl)-2,2':6',2n-terpyridine (Antpy), where the fluorophoric pyrene or anthracene unit is directly coupled to the terpyridine unit, were synthesized. The aryl terpyridines conjugates can be viewed as donor-acceptor molecules that are conformationally labile, with the possibility of rotation around three single bonds. It was of interest to see as to how conformational effects express themselves in different environments, especially in relation to the possibility of charge separation. Crystal structure data and Serni-empirical AMI calculations revealed a twisted molecular conformation for each of the molecules. Absorption and emission (steady state as well as tirne-resolved) behavior of Pytpy and Antpy in various organic solvents have been presented. The molecules showed only limited conjugation between the two units in the absorption behavior with the degree of conjugation being greater for Pytpy. In the emission behavior, only a single emission band (with a single lifetime) was observed in all organic solvent. Steady state and time resolved fluorescence data suggest the existence of a mixed or coupled, largely 7t—7i* state, with only marginal charge separation. The various photophysical parameters have been determined for the two systems. It appears that in the excited state, the inesomeric interactions show an increase for each of the two aryl-terpyridines, indicating at least a partially planar geometry in the excited state. Some specific solvent effects were observed for the molecules in alcoholic solvents and there was evidence of excited state H-bonding occurs for the aryl terpyridines in polar protic organic solvents, especially methanol. Pytpy and Antpy self-assembled in water over a large concentration range (1-100 |xM) to form spherical nanoparticles in the size range of 150-200 nm, as characterized by TEM and DLS. The absorption spectra for both conjugates showed red shift of the absorption bands in water (-10 nrn) along with significant tailing of the long-wavelength bands. The change in emission behavior in going from solution to the aggregates in water was very dramatic. Multiple, broadened, highly red-shifted emission bands for both Antpy and Pytpy were observed. Quite significantly, a long lifetime component in the emission decay was shown by the conjugates in water as compared to the lifetimes observed in solution. The data points towards a unique CT emission for Antpy and Pytpy aggregates in water. The excitation spectra for the multiple emission bands seen for Pytpy (or Antpy) were observed to be identical. Thus a single ground state population is responsible for emission over the entire range (approximately 420 nin - 600 nm). The existence of multiple emission bands and the large bathochromic shifts are exclusively due to excited state effects in the aggregated state in water. It appears that excited state H-bonding of the tpy N with water helps facilitate the excited state CT. The solid-state behavior of Pytpy and Antpy lias been examined and the emission from the two crystalline solids is very distinct. Antpy emission showed a X,,nax at -430 nm while Pytpy emission peaked at ~ 560 nm. The difference in the solid-state emission behavior exhibited by Pytpy and Antpy is explained through a consideration of the crystal packing for the two molecules. The degree of n-facial stacking was observed to be much greater for Pytpy. The observation of the distinct packing and emission shown by solid Pytpy and Antpy is highly significant if one considers the identical emission shown by the aqueous nanoparticles of the two molecules and brings to fore the 'nanoparticle effect' in water as compared to a simple concentration effect. It was also demonstrated that it was possible to modulate the aggregation of the terpyridines through additives, like metal ions Chapter 4: Pyrenyl terpyridine as a ratiometric fluorescence probe for sensing order and polarity of membranous aggregates. Pytpy was examined for its utility in probing surfactant aggregates, particularly membranous assemblies. la lipid bilayer vesicles made of phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids (like dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine, DMPC or egg-yolk PC) Pytpy showed an emission profile with marked similarity to that shown by the probe in water. Specifically, a broad red-shifted emission with A,maxin. the 500 nm region was observed. In addition, a peak in the -420 nm region was also seen. Fluorescence anisotropy was used to confirm the presence of vesicle-bound probe. Excitation spectra confirmed the presence of two distinct probe populations, om responsible for the '420 nm9 emission and another population responsible for the multiple, red-shifted emission bands. The emission behavior was indicative of aggregation of Pytpy on the vesicle surface and CT effects operating in conjunction with H-bonding. Fluorescence lifetime measurements, carried out at different Is suggest the CT nature of the red-shifted emission. The aggregation of the probe on the bilayer interface was confirmed by concentration and temperature dependence of the emission profile. The role of water in stabilizing this CT emission on bilayer surfaces was shown with use of a surface dehydrating agent polyethylene glycol (PEG). All these results helped build a model for the behavior of Pytpy in water. Pytpy aggregates on bilayer surface and shows a red-shifted CT emission with stabilization by interfacial water. Thus, the Pytpy 'aggregate' has a shallow, water accessible location in the bilayer. In addition to this, there is another Pytpy population responsible for the emission in the 420 nm region, and this second population might have a comparatively deeper location. The wavelength of the CT emission was sensitive to the polarity of the interface as evidenced "by the results obtained with bilayers made of a number of PC lipids. In general, the X™ax of the CTband showed a red shift with increasing polarity. The increase in polarity also caused an increase in the average lifetime of the probe. Pytpy could distinguish between vesicles made of lipids of different head groups. Aggregates made of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) head group are in general less hydrated than PC lipid assemblies and Pytpy emission reflected this when examined in vesicles made of related lipids (dioleoyl lipids, DOPC and DOPE; dirnyristoyl lipids, DMPC and DMPE). Pytpy emission from PE vesicles was quenched and showed a pronounced blue shift in the emission Xmax vis-a-vis PC bilayers. Thus, dehydration of the interface consistently led to the destabilization of the CT state. Further, Pytpy emission was also responsive to hydration in more complex mixed PC-PE assemblies. Pytpy emission "behavior was also used to probe fluidity in complex "mixed" lipid assemblies- The effect of cholesterol on DMPC bilayers in terms of its known ability to dehydrate the bilayer was reported through a blue-shift Xmax of CT emission band. Further, cholesterol also causes drastic change in the bilayer at concentrations greater than ~ 30 mol%. This change in the bilayer was sensed through a sudden reduction in fluorescence intensity. Also from a careful analysis of Pytpy in various PC and PE vesicles, it emerged that the more fluid aggregates showed larger quantum yields. Thus, Pytpy could simultaneously report on both the polarity and fluidity of lipidic aggregates. Pytpy could also provide information about the order of an assembly. While the probe aggregated in bilayers and other membranous assemblies and showed water assisted CT emission, in more dynamic assemblies like micelles, Pytpy aggregates were not sustained, Pytpy in micelles showed emission spectra very similar to that seen in solutions in aprotic organic solvents. Thus, Pytpy proved to be a very useful ratiometric sensor for vesicle-to-rnicelle transition. Also, it has been possible to study some surfactant-lipid mixed assemblies that show phase separation. Pytpy reported the formation of a 'rigid', bilayer-like phases in mixed assemblies that are called bicelles.

The capability to resolve the contributions from spectroscopically overlapping fluorophores has enabled significant breakthroughs in cellular imaging. However, commercial microscopes for this purpose use analog light detection with least squares curve-fitting analysis and improvements in sensitivity are needed. To this end, a microscope has been constructed with high throughput and single-photon detection capability. The fluorescence is separated through use of a prism spectrometer or a series of dichroic mirrors into four spectral bands and detected using four single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors, which provide high-quantum efficiency in the red spectral region. The detectors are connected to a time-correlated single photon counting module to provide sub-nanosecond temporal resolution for distinguishing fluorophores with different fluorescence lifetimes. Maximum-likelihood (ML) methods have been developed for analyzing the temporally and spectrally resolved photon count data from the SPADs to find the contributions from different fluorescent species and from background. Commercially available SPADs exhibit a count-rate dependent time shift in the impulse response function, and hence the instrument incorporates custom modified SPADs with improved timing stability. Nevertheless, there is still some time shift, and hence the ML-analysis has been extended to include this as an adjustable parameter for each individual SPAD. Monte Carlo simulations have also been developed to enable studies of the number of photons needed to resolve specific fluorophores.

L’exaltation de fluorescence par un métal est de plus en plus utilisée pour augmenter la sensibilité de détection dans les systèmes utilisant la fluorescence. Au cours de ce travail de thèse, nous avons étudié ce phénomène dans des nanoparticules hybrides Métal@SiO2 possédant des émetteurs de fluorescence immobilisés sur la silice. Dans un premier temps, nous avons élaboré les nanoparticules cœur-coquille Métal@SiO2 (Métal = Au ou Ag) en utilisant différentes méthodes et en les comparant pour choisir la plus adaptée selon le diamètre du cœur métallique. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons étudié les propriétés de fluorescence exaltée des nanoparticules hybrides. Deux types d’émetteurs de fluorescence ont été sélectionnés : des nanoparticules semi-conductrices (SiC) et des fluorophores organiques (cyanine 3 et fluorescéine). Après fonctionnalisation de la silice, les émetteurs de fluorescence ont été greffés à la surface des nanoparticules Métal@SiO2. L’exaltation de leur fluorescence a été analysée en fonction de leur densité surfacique, de leur distance par rapport au cœur métallique (fixée par l’épaisseur de silice), du diamètre du cœur métallique et de la longueur d’onde d’excitation. Le facteur d’exaltation le plus important (de l’ordre de 103) a été obtenu avec une faible épaisseur de silice (10 nm) pour les nanoparticules de SiC dont le rendement quantique intrinsèque est très faible (inférieur à 1%). Enfin, la surface de nanoparticules hybrides a été fonctionnalisée avec des nanoparticules d’oxyde de fer de manière à obtenir une combinaison de propriétés optiques (fluorescentes et plasmoniques) et magnétiques à l’intérieur d’une même nanoparticule hybride. / For the past decade, metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) has attracted much attention as it improved the sensitivity of fluorescence detection. In this work, MEF was investigated in hybrid Metal@SiO2 nanoparticles with fluorescent emitters immobilized onto silica. In the first part, core-shell Metal@SiO2 (Metal = Au or Ag) nanoparticles were elaborated and several elaboration methods were compared. A comparison was given in order to choose the most suitable method depending on metal core diameter. The second part was dedicated to MEF properties of hybrid nanoparticles. Two kinds of fluorescent emitters were selected: quantum dots (SiC) and organic dyes (cyanine 3 and fluorescein). After silica surface modification, fluorescent emitters were linked to Metal@SiO2 nanoparticles. MEF phenomenon was investigated by tuning the distance between metal and fluorescent emitter (fixed by silica thickness), metal diameter, the fluorescent emitter surface density, and the excitation wavelength. The highest enhancement factor (almost 103) was obtained for a low silica thickness (10 nm) with SiC nanoparticles whose intrinsic quantum yield is very low (lower than 1%). Finally, we functionalized the surface of hybrid nanoparticles with iron oxide nanoparticles to obtain a combination of optical (fluorescence and plasmonics) and magnetic properties inside one hybrid nanoparticle.

La fluorescence excitée à deux photons est actuellement largement utilisée pour l'imagerie de tissus biologiques, mais la faible sensibilité des fluorophores utilisés en microscopie confocale (excitation à un photon) à une excitation à deux photons (ADP) rend nécessaire la conception et la synthèse de nouveaux fluorophores spécifiques pour la microscopie de fluorescence par excitation bi-photonique (MFEB). Mon travail de thèse a ainsi porté sur l'ingénierie moléculaire (conception, synthèse et caractérisations) de nouveaux fluorophores pour la MFEB. Nous nous sommes particulièrement intéressés à des systèmes unidimensionnels (1D) de petite taille comportant des systèmes π étendus autour d'un cœur rigide (dicétopyrrolopyrrole ou DPP) et entourés de différents systèmes électro-actifs. Nous avons modifié par la suite les fluorophores précédents de manière à pouvoir les conjuguer à des molécules d'intérêt biologique, comme des protéines. Ces fluorophores bio-conjugables ont été greffés sur un peptide du virus HIV étudié au laboratoire : TAT (Trans-Activator of Transcription). L'imagerie par microscopie biphotonique a été effectuée avec succès sur des cellules HeLa. Nous nous sommes ensuite tourné vers la mise au point de nouvelles sondes multimodales pour associer la MEBP à une autre modalité d'imagerie : la résonance magnétique nucléaire et la microscopie électronique (imagerie corrélative). Pour ce faire nous avons développé des colorants fluorescents par excitation bi-photonique comportant une entité paramagnétique ou dense aux électrons (nanoparticules de magnétite, ion gadolinium III ou atomes lourds comme le platine et l'or).