Fluorophores

Fluorophores used in biomedical research are chemical compounds that absorb light and emit fluorescence at defined wavelengths. This emitted light, detected and measured by instruments such as spectrophotometers, microscopes, imagers, and flow cytometers, provides valuable information at the tissue, cell, and molecular levels. When used as probes in cellular staining, fluorophores help distinguish key cellular features, functions, enzyme activities, and protein localization sites. In flow cytometric applications, multiple dyes enable simultaneous detection of many targets. A given fluorophore’s maximum absorption and emission wavelength values are key attributes to consider, as they determine how the signal will be detected, as well as that dyes compatibility with other dyes.