Keynote Talk 21st International Conference on Biological Inorganic Chemistry 2025

Spatiotemporal dynamics of small molecules and ions are central to all life processes ranging from cell-signaling, transport, immunity, and recycling, to most pathophysiological conditions including cancers, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. In this backdrop, the ability to catch molecules and ions live, in action, using optical imaging modalities is extremely powerful, enabling visualization of the spatial organization and temporal dynamics of bio-analytes within living systems. Central to scientific endeavors in visualizing molecules and ions toward deciphering life processes are chemical probes that can non-invasively enter living systems and report on their localization in an optical imaging set-up. My research group works on the development of rapid-responsive optical probes for temporal-tracking, quantification, and imaging of essential ions and bio-molecules within living systems (Figure 1). Our USP lies in strategically combining fundamental insights from coordination chemistry and molecular recognition along with computations to design novel small-molecule and peptide-based probes. In this talk, I will highlight our endeavors in chemical probe development for tracking and quantifying essential metal ions.¹ I will also touch upon our recent efforts toward live multiplexed imaging of bio-analytes.²