Patent ID: 6479303
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: C09B,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A set of fluorescent labeling complexes each of said complexes 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, the first and second fluorochromes being selected from the cyanine dyes, fluoresceins, rhodamines, pyrene trisulphonates and derivatives of the bispyrromethine boron difluoride dyes; iii) at least one linker group having 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 target bonding group capable of forming a covalent bond with a target compound wherein the target bonding group is a reactive group for reacting with a functional group on the target material; wherein the combined molecular weight of said first and second fluorochromes and said linker group in each of said complexes is less than 20,000 Daltons, wherein at least two complexes of said set absorb at the same wavelength and emit (fluoresces) at significantly different emission wavelengths, and wherein at least one of said first or second fluorochromes in each of said complexes is a cyanine dye.