Due to their simplicity in preparation, sensitivity and selectivity, fluorescent probes have become the analytical tool of choice in a wide range of research and industrial fields, facilitating the rapid detection of chemical substances of interest as well as the study of important physiological and pathological processes at the cellular level. In addition, many long-wavelength fluorescent probes developed have also proven applicable for in vivo biomedical applications including fluorescence-guided disease diagnosis and theranostics (e.g., fluorogenic prodrugs). Impressive progresses have been made in the development of sensing agents and materials for the detection of ions, organic small molecules, and biomacromolecules including enzymes, DNAs/RNAs, lipids, and carbohydrates that play crucial roles in biological and disease-relevant events. Here, we highlight examples of fluorescent probes and functional materials for biological applications selected from the special issues “Fluorescent Probes” and “Molecular Sensors and Logic Gates” recently published in this journal, offering insights into the future development of powerful fluorescence-based chemical tools for basic biological studies and clinical translation.

由于制备简单、灵敏度高、选择性好，荧光探针已成为广泛的研究和工业领域的首选分析工具，有助于快速检测感兴趣的化学物质以及研究重要的生理和病理过程在细胞水平。此外，许多开发的长波长荧光探针也被证明适用于体内生物医学应用，包括荧光引导的疾病诊断和治疗学（例如荧光前药）。在开发用于检测离子、有机小分子和生物大分子（包括在生物和疾病相关事件中起关键作用的酶、DNA/RNA、脂质和碳水化合物）的传感剂和材料方面取得了令人瞩目的进展。在这里，我们重点介绍了选自该期刊最近发表的特刊“荧光探针”和“分子传感器和逻辑门”中用于生物应用的荧光探针和功能材料的示例，为未来强大的基于荧光的化学工具的发展提供了见解用于基础生物学研究和临床翻译。