Lighting and decoding the world of serine protease

Serine proteases are the largest catalytic family of proteases in the human genome. They have been implied in various diseases including cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases. The detectcion of abberrant serine protease activity can therefore shed light on different physiological and pathological processes. In this plan, I will design fluorescently quenched activity- based probes (qABPs) for two families of serine proteases to monitor abnormal enzyme activity by biochemical methods as well as fluorescent microscopy. This may enable future application in early- stage cancer diagnoses, imaging-guided surgery, and real-time assessment of therapeutic efficacy.