Elena A. Goun

The design, synthesis, and evaluation of conjugates of arginine-rich transporters and luciferin are described that release luciferin only after entry into cells that are stably transfected with luciferase. Each molecule of free luciferin that is released after entry generates a photon that can be measured allowing for real-time quantification of uptake and release in cells. The process provides a method to assay uptake and release of free luciferin as a function of variations in the releasable linker and in the transporter.

Crossing borders. Methods to enhance or control selective passage of therapeutics or probes into or through biological barriers are a key to the future of drug therapy and many fundamental advances in science. One bioinspired strategy for crossing biological barriers is based on the use of molecular transporters, the focus of this minireview and our studies Stanford.