创新背景

医学、生物学以及其他自然科学领域都需要不断深入了解细胞，显微镜和生物标志物的荧光标记对于了解细胞必不可少。目前的研究人员主要通过使用荧光标记物和小型生物传感器来了解细胞的内部运作原理，但两种方法都存在不足：荧光标记物需要复杂困难的技术和测量装置，生物传感器无法提供定量读数，只能测量相对浓度。

创新过程

比利时鲁汶大学的研究团队开发了一种能够轻松量化生物体中钙浓度的新技术，简化以往的实验方法，可以帮助研究人员进行实验并适应其他分子和组织，成为研究和开发应用的有效工具。相关研究成果《使用光致变色单荧光团生物传感器和间歇定量绝对测量细胞活性》于2022年发表在《自然通讯》上。
新技术利用基于小型传感器的生物传感方法，为生物研究提供快速但完全定量的测量，并且可进行长时间的测量。利用Ca2+ 生物传感器 GCaMP 家族的概念验证光致变色变体，并表明它们可用于解决活细胞中绝对 Ca2+ 浓度的动态变化。

研究开发出一种测量活细胞中钙水平的新方法，可以在不同条件下测量活细胞中的绝对钙通量。钙在许多细胞过程中非常重要，比如肌肉收缩和神经元信号传导。新方法不仅可以用于神经元中的钙离子，而且可以轻易适应其他分子和更复杂的组织。

新技术涉及一种结合绝对采集和快速荧光采集的间歇定量技术，可以提供快速但完全定量的测量，并且将基于光致变色的测量扩展到绝对照明强度未知的情况。
新技术与所用仪器的照明强度无关，很容易在其他实验室重现，使实验室能够轻松共享和比较其结果。研究人员表示，新技术可以帮助其他研究人员进行实验，最终可以带来更快的突破和应用。

创新关键点

结合光致变色单荧光团生物传感器和间歇定量绝对测量开发测量细胞活性的新技术，可以轻松量化测量生物细胞中的钙浓度。

创新价值

为生命科学提出新见解提供技术支持，帮助相关研究实验开展，带来更多的突破和应用。

Combined with biosensors and batch quantification techniques, cellular calcium concentrations can be quantitatively and accurately measured

The research team at the University of Leuven in Belgium has developed a new technique that can easily quantify calcium concentrations in organisms, simplifying previous experimental methods, helping researchers conduct experiments and adapt to other molecules and tissues, becoming an effective tool for research and development applications. The research result "Absolute Measurement of Cell Activity Using Photochromic Single Fluorophore Biosensors and Intermittent

Quantitative Absolute Measurements" was published in Nature Communications in 2022.
The new technology utilizes a biosensing method based on small sensors to provide rapid but fully quantitative measurements for biological research, and can be measured over long periods of time. Proof-of-concept photochromic variants utilizing the Ca2+ biosensor GCaMP family and showed that they can be used to address dynamic changes in absolute Ca2+ concentrations in living cells.

Research has developed a new method for measuring calcium levels in living cells that can measure absolute calcium fluxes in living cells under different conditions. Calcium is very important in many cellular processes, such as muscle contraction and neuronal signaling. The new method can not only be used for calcium ions in neurons, but can also be easily adapted to other molecules and more complex tissues.

The new technology involves an intermittent quantification technique that combines absolute acquisition and rapid fluorescence acquisition, which can provide fast but fully quantitative measurements and extends photochromic-based measurements to situations where absolute illumination intensity is unknown.

The new technology is independent of the lighting intensity of the instrument used and is easy to reproduce in other laboratories, allowing laboratories to easily share and compare their results. The researchers say the new technology could help other researchers conduct experiments that could ultimately lead to faster breakthroughs and applications.