Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of 4'-5' Disubstituted CinNapht Dyes Accessible through Double SNAr Late-Stage Functionalization.

This article describes the synthesis of a difluorinated CinNapht derivative in the 4' and 5' positions allowing the easy access to two new families of fluorophores by late-stage functionalization using SNAr. The first one comprises derivatives incorporating hindered aromatic amines in the 4' and 5' positions, which show red-emission in apolar solvents. The second one is obtained through the use of dinucleophiles.

CinNapht AIE(E)gens for selective imaging of lipid droplets.

This article describes the synthesis and photophysical properties of Aggregation-Induced Emission (enhancement) luminogens derivated from CinNaphts dyes. These fluorophores can be obtained in good yields in a single SNAr step of a fluorinated CinNapht derivative by incorporating hindered aromatic amines. They exhibit AIE(E) behavior associated with solid-state fluorescence covering an emission range from 563 to 722 nm.

Unprecedented perspectives on the application of CinNapht fluorophores provided by a "late-stage" functionalization strategy.

A simple and easy-to-implement process based on a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction with a wide variety of nucleophiles on a fluorinated CinNapht is described. This process has the key advantage of introducing multiple functionalities at a very late stage, thus providing access to new applications including the synthesis of photostable and bioconjugatable large Stokes shift red emitting dyes and selective organelle imaging agents, as well as AIEE-based wash-free lipid droplet imaging in live cells with high signal-to-noise ratio. The synthesis of bench-stable CinNapht-F has been optimized and can be reproduced on a large scale, making it an easy-to-store starting material that can be used at will to prepare new molecular imaging tools.

"CinNapht" dyes: a new cinnoline/naphthalimide fused hybrid fluorophore. Synthesis, photo-physical study and use for bio-imaging.

Six-membered-diaza ring of cinnoline has been fused on naphthalimide dye to give a donor-acceptor system called CinNapht. This red shifted fluorophore, that can be synthesised in gram scale, exhibits a large Stoke shift and a fluorescence quantum yield up to 0.33.

Tuning the cationic interface of simple polydiacetylene micelles to improve siRNA delivery at the cellular level.

Polydiacetylene micelles were assembled from four different cationic amphiphiles and photopolymerized to reinforce their architecture. The produced micelles were systematically investigated, in interaction with siRNAs, for intracellular delivery of the silencing nucleic acids. The performances of the carrier systems were rationalized based on the cell penetrating properties of the micelles and the nature of their cationic complexing group, responsible for efficient siRNA binding and further endosomal escape.

Simplified Footprint-Free Cas9/CRISPR Editing of Cardiac-Associated Genes in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Modeling disease with human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is hindered because the impact on cell phenotype from genetic variability between individuals can be greater than from the pathogenic mutation. While "footprint-free" Cas9/CRISPR editing solves this issue, existing approaches are inefficient or lengthy. In this study, a simplified PiggyBac strategy shortened hPSC editing by 2 weeks and required one round of clonal expansion and genotyping rather than two, with similar efficiencies to the longer conventional process.

Cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells: From laboratory curiosity to industrial biomedical platform.

Cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs-CMs) could revolutionise biomedicine. Global burden of heart failure will soon reach USD $90bn, while unexpected cardiotoxicity underlies 28% of drug withdrawals. Advances in hPSC isolation, Cas9/CRISPR genome engineering and hPSC-CM differentiation have improved patient care, progressed drugs to clinic and opened a new era in safety pharmacology.