Membrane receptors, among other membrane proteins that universally exist on the cell surface, are a class of important macromolecules responsible for cell-signaling processes. They are activated or inhibited through selective binding with endogenous ligand molecules. These binding activities are implicated in physiologic as well as pathologic events if errors in signaling interactions occur. The thorough understanding of receptor-ligand recognition is of paramount importance for fundamental biological studies and, in particular, could improve the precision of disease diagnosis and therapy. However, current techniques capable of tracking the dynamic actions of membrane receptors are elusive. This review highlights our recent progress in the development of fluorescent probes and supramolecular materials for receptor-targeting biosensing and bioimaging. Strategies in probe construction and the practical biomedical applications that have been achieved are discussed. Perspectives and challenges with respect to this interdisciplinary field are offered.

除普遍存在于细胞表面的其他膜蛋白外，膜受体是一类负责细胞信号转导过程的重要大分子。它们通过与内源性配体分子选择性结合而被激活或抑制。如果发生信号相互作用中的错误，则这些结合活性与生理以及病理事件有关。对受体-配体识别的透彻理解对于基础生物学研究至关重要，尤其是可以提高疾病诊断和治疗的准确性。然而，当前能够追踪膜受体的动态作用的技术是难以捉摸的。这篇综述突出了我们在用于受体靶向生物传感和生物成像的荧光探针和超分子材料开发方面的最新进展。讨论了探针构建的策略和已实现的实际生物医学应用。提供了关于该跨学科领域的观点和挑战。