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3w ago

FINICI Turns Dimming Biosensors Into Clear Cell Signals

The technique converts existing ‘negative’ biosensor readouts into positive signals so researchers can map enzyme activity in nanoscale cell regions and better assess where drugs act.

Using their new imaging technique, researchers looked deeper into the activity of three molecules — the Src kinase, Syk kinase, and cGMP | Representative Image
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Overview

  • Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago published a PNAS proof-of-concept and issued press briefings on July 14–15 presenting FINICI and live-cell demonstrations.
  • FINICI, short for Fluctuation Increase Negated by Intra-Chain, flips biosensors that go dark into bright, usable reporters so labs can reuse existing tools without years of redesign.
  • Using FINICI the team imaged Src kinase, Syk kinase and cGMP and found activity confined to tiny nanodomains that whole-cell measures hide.
  • Key findings include short-lived and persistent Src bursts at the cell membrane and lipid rafts, cGMP forming small clusters that then spread, and Syk acting near internal scaffolding rather than at activating receptors.
  • The method immediately aids basic cell-signaling research and could change drug target studies if other labs validate FINICI and adopt it for broader use.