Soluble Oxygen Detector for In Vivo Applications

The Rockefeller University
posted on 01/26/2010

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Oxygen is a vital resource for the majority of living organisms as it is important for many other chemical and biological processes in the cell, such as those involved in respiration and differentiation. The level of oxygen determines whether or not these processes would occur and their activity. Therefore, there is a need to have reliable techniques to accurately and quantitatively measure the concentration of dissolved oxygen in aqueous environments as well as in tissues in vivo. Our investigators have developed a methodology to encapsulate an oxygen-sensitive fluorescent dye in a phospholipid micelle, which preserves the sensitivity of the dye to oxygen. At the same time, the lipids protect the cell from toxicity inherent to the dye, allowing for in vivo experiments in as natural an environment as possible. These molecules have the potential to be very effective research tools that fulfill an unmet need in the research community.

The methodology can be used to construct useful research tools to measure oxygen consumption and spatial distribution of oxygen in aqueous solutions, including in vivo. There is also the potential to use other chemical modifications to the micelles for other applications, such as labeling specific targets in the organism of interest.

Measurement of oxygen concentration is quantitative and accurate.