ABSTRACT
Acknowledgments .........................................................................................................................474
References .....................................................................................................................................475
Immunoassay using fluorophore-labeled antibodies is a popular technique for medical diagnostics
and bioanalytical chemistry because of its high detection sensitivity, non-isotopic safety, multi-
plexing, and quantitative capabilities. However, these promising features are still limited by the use
of traditional organic dyes with less than optimal absorption and emission properties. For example,
organic dyes often undergo rapid photobleaching, making accurate quantification difficult; their
broad and asymmetric emission profiles result in significant spectral overlap in multicolor appli-
cations. As a result, it is difficult or nearly impossible to detect more than 3 biomolecular targets
using a single light source. Therefore, there is a need to develop new detection labels that can
overcome the aforementioned problems.
