Researchers at the AV Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, part of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have developed a new family of luminescent compounds that show strong light emission while remaining non toxic to living cells, opening promising avenues for bioimaging. The findings were highlighted in a publication series known as Science in Siberia, which collaborates to share scientific progress from the region.
The report notes a key limitation of many current bioimaging dyes: toxicity to cells. This breakthrough introduces dyes and complexes that preserve cellular integrity while providing robust fluorescence signals, addressing a critical barrier in biomedical visualization. The development centers on tuning luminescent properties through carefully chosen metal ions, yielding a spectrum of emissions that can be detected with standard optical equipment. In particular, researchers focus on coordinating europium, samarium, and terbium within organic ligands. When these complexes are excited by ultraviolet light, they emit distinct colors visible to the unaided eye: red from europium, orange from samarium, and green from terbium. Lead researcher Ksenia Smirnova explains that different metal centers confer different emission profiles, and that europium and samarium often show complementary performance depending on the specific chemical environment explored inside the host matrix. This strategic selection aims to maximize brightness while preserving biocompatibility, a combination that is especially valuable for live-cell imaging and long-term observation in research and potential clinical contexts.
Beyond these luminescent systems, collaborative work from other Russian centers previously explored how DNA fragments and their interactions can influence cancer cell behavior. Earlier studies from the Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with scientists from St. Petersburg State University and Pavlov Medical University, investigated how residual DNA fragments, sometimes referred to as scrap DNA, may modulate cancer cells’ resistance to chemotherapy. This line of inquiry underscores a broader scientific effort to understand cellular responses to treatment at the molecular level, integrating insights from both imaging and genetic research to inform future therapeutic strategies.