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AAT Bioquest

What are the applications of click chemistry?

Posted April 10, 2024


Answer

There are various applications of click chemistry. One application is its use for DNA labeling. Click chemistry enables the utilization of multiple fluorescent dyes that were previously inefficient. Examples of dyes now accessible include blue phenoxazinium azide and red coumarin azide. In bioconjugation, click chemistry enables the conjugation of drugs or targeting ligands to biomolecules such as peptides or proteins. This facilitates applications such as cell-surface labeling as well as DNA modification and labeling. Additionally, click chemistry is involved in drug discovery. It is used to synthesize libraries of compounds for future drug use. Click chemistry offers a straightforward approach to creating 1,2,3-triazoles, which exhibit excellent pharmacological properties. These compounds have been extensively used in the synthesis of various antiviral, anticancer, and antibacterial drugs. Due to its versatility with different functional groups, click chemistry is also involved in materials science. Researchers use this technique to explore distinct characteristics of materials, facilitating the creation of new products. For example, click chemistry helps design hydrogels for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering purposes. Click chemistry has also helped advance the field of radiochemistry. For example, it has aided in the creation of prosthetic groups for radiolabeling reactions and has developed and customizes scaffolds for radiometals. 

Additional resources

Application of “Click” Chemistry in Biomedical Hydrogels

Click Chemistry

FastClick™ Cy3 Azide