Optical imaging probes allow us to detect and uncover the physiological and pathological functions of an analyte of interest at the molecular level in a non-invasive, longitudinal manner. By virtue of simplicity, low cost, high sensitivity, adaptation to automated analysis, capacity for spatially resolved imaging and diverse signal output modes, optical imaging probes have been widely applied in biology, physiology, pharmacology and medicine. To build a reliable and practically/clinically relevant probe, the design process often encompasses multidisciplinary themes, including chemistry, biology and medicine. Within the repertoire of probes, dual-locked systems are particularly interesting as a result of their ability to offer enhanced specificity and multiplex detection. In addition, chemiluminescence is a low-background, excitation-free optical modality and, thus, can be integrated into dual-locked systems, permitting crosstalk-free fluorescent and chemiluminescent detection of two distinct biomarkers. For many researchers, these dual-locked systems remain a ‘black box’. Therefore, this Review aims to offer a ‘beginner’s guide’ to such dual-locked systems, providing simple explanations on how they work, what they can do and where they have been applied, in order to help readers develop a deeper understanding of this rich area of research.

光学成像探针使我们能够以非侵入性、纵向的方式在分子水平上检测和揭示目标分析物的生理和病理功能。光学成像探针凭借简单、低成本、高灵敏度、适应自动化分析、空间分辨成像能力和多样的信号输出模式等优点，在生物学、生理学、药理学和医学等领域得到了广泛应用。为了构建可靠且实用/临床相关的探针，设计过程通常包含多学科主题，包括化学、生物学和医学。在探针库中，双锁系统因其提供增强的特异性和多重检测的能力而特别令人感兴趣。此外，化学发光是一种低背景，无激发光学模态，因此可以集成到双锁定系统中，允许对两种不同的生物标志物进行无串扰的荧光和化学发光检测。对于许多研究人员来说，这些双锁系统仍然是一个“黑匣子”。因此，这篇评论旨在为这种双锁系统提供一个“初学者指南”，对它们的工作原理、它们能做什么以及它们的应用场合进行简单的解释，以帮助读者更深入地了解这种丰富的研究领域。