Richard A. DeFazio - US grants

With the support of this award from the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry program, Professor Francisco Raymo will explore the synthesis of compounds incorporating a fluorescent group and a photochromic switch in their molecular skeleton. The fluorophore is designed to emit radiations in the visible region upon excitation at one wavelength (ON). The photochrome is engineered to switch the emission of the fluorophore off upon excitation at another wavelength (OFF). On the basis of this unique behavior and the interplay of two exciting beams at ON and OFF, the group will be able to image biological samples with unprecedented resolution. In fact, they plan to characterize the photochemical and photophysical properties of their molecular switches first and then assess their potential application as luminescent probes for fluorescence imaging. Thus, their fundamental investigations should contribute to the understanding of the basic factors controlling the photochemical and photophysical properties of organic molecules, while providing viable operating principles for the design of photoresponsive compounds and materials. In addition to an immediate impact on the general field of molecular switches, the findings should have more long-range broader impacts in biomedical research. The luminescent switches could eventually evolve into valuable analytical tools for the visualization of biological samples with nanoscaled resolution. Furthermore, this research program will foster an interdisciplinary collaboration between members of the Departments of Chemistry and Neurobiology of the host institution and contribute to the training of a graduate student and a postdoctoral associate at the interface of chemistry and biology. Moreover, it will have a significant educational impact on members of underrepresented groups, as a result of the high minority enrollment, most notably Hispanic, of the University of Miami.