Open AccessDeveloping bioorthogonal probes to span a spectrum of reactivities
Author(s) -
Sean S Nguyen,
Jennifer A. Prescher
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
nature reviews. chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 16.465
H-Index - 50
ISSN - 2397-3358
DOI - 10.1038/s41570-020-0205-0
Subject(s) - bioorthogonal chemistry , biocompatible material , nanotechnology , biomolecule , computer science , living systems , variety (cybernetics) , chemistry , broad spectrum , biochemical engineering , combinatorial chemistry , click chemistry , materials science , engineering , artificial intelligence , biomedical engineering
Bioorthogonal chemistries enable researchers to interrogate biomolecules in living systems. These reactions are highly selective and biocompatible and can be performed in many complex environments. However, like any organic transformation, there is no perfect bioorthogonal reaction. Choosing the "best fit" for a desired application is critical. Correspondingly, there must be a variety of chemistries-spanning a spectrum of rates and other features-to choose from. Over the past few years, significant strides have been made towards not only expanding the number of bioorthogonal chemistries, but also fine-tuning existing reactions for particular applications. In this Review, we highlight recent advances in bioorthogonal reaction development, focusing on how physical organic chemistry principles have guided probe design. The continued expansion of this toolset will provide more precisely tuned reagents for manipulating bonds in distinct environments.