Algorithms for the selection of fluorescent reporters

Abstract

Molecular biologists rely on the use of fluorescent probes to take measurements of their model systems. These fluorophores fall into various classes (e.g. fluorescent dyes, fluorescent proteins, etc.), but they all share some general properties (such as excitation and emission spectra, brightness) and require similar equipment for data acquisition. Selecting an ideal set of fluorophores for a particular measurement technology or vice versa is a multidimensional problem that is difficult to solve with ad hoc methods due to the enormous solution space of possible fluorophore panels. Choosing sub-optimal fluorophore panels can result in unreliable or erroneous measurements of biochemical properties in model systems. Here, we describe a set of algorithms, implemented in an open-source software tool, for solving these problems efficiently to arrive at fluorophore panels optimized for maximal signal and minimal bleed-through.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 26, 2021
Source ID
10.1038/s42003-020-01599-5

Entities

People

  • Alexander Vahid
  • David Tran
  • Douglas Densmore
  • Evan Appleton
  • George M. Church
  • Prashant Vaidyanathan

Organizations

  • National Science Foundation
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Readers

  • Chemistry (specifically Chemical Fluorescence)
  • Operations Research
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space