Fluorescent probes for biomedical applications (2009-2014).

The discovery and subsequent development of fluorescent probes was one of the most exciting innovations in life sciences, which marked the beginning of interpretation of numerous biological phenomena. Today, fluorescent probes are used for a wide range of biomedical applications, such as pharmaceutical research, clinical diagnostics and high-throughput screening, to name a few. Despite the availability of a large number of these probes, efforts to invent newer versions utilizing novel chemistry to address limitations of the current approaches continue. This review article gives a rundown on 'small-molecule fluorescent probes' patents/patent applications from January 2009 to March 2014. The patent literature was classified based on 'preparation' and 'biomedical applications' of these 'fluorescing wonders'.