Patent ID: 6673943
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: C09B,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A multichromophore complex comprising:i) a first fluorochrome having first absorption and emission spectra; ii) a second fluorochrome having second absorption and emission spectra, the wavelength of the emission maximum of said second fluorochrome being longer than the wavelength of the emission maximum of said first fluorochrome, and a portion of the absorption spectrum of said second fluorochrome overlapping a portion of the emission spectrum of said first fluorochrome; iii) at least one linker group of between 2 and 20 bond lengths for covalently attaching said first and second fluorochromes for transfer of resonance energy between said first and second fluorochromes; iv) at least one bonding group capable of forming a covalent bond with a target compound; wherein said first or second fluorochromes are selected from the group consisting of polymethine cyanine dyes, monomethine rigidized cyanine dyes, fluorescein, pyrene trisulphonate, rhodamine, and bispyrromethine boron difluoride dyes, wherein at least one of said first or second fluorochromes is a cyanine dye, and the combined molecular weight of said first or second fluorochromes and said linker group in each of said complexes is less than 20,000 Daltons.