Firefly Protein Technique Provides Improved Imaging of Blood Clots

The enzyme that makes fireflies glow is lighting-up the scientific path toward a long-sought imaging agent to better monitor treatment with heparin.

The study's findings were published in the American Chemical Society (ACS)' November 17, 2010, issue of the journal Bioconjugate Chemistry. Dr. Bruce Branchini and colleagues from the department of chemistry, Connecticut College (New London, CT, USA) described in their article a need for new medical imaging agents that emit near-infrared light (NIR). NIR rays penetrate deeper into the body and could provide physicians with a better means of detecting the proteins involved in blood clotting. Scientists already use luciferase, the enzyme that makes lightning bugs glow, in laboratory research.

The new study describes an advance toward using luciferase in medical imaging. The scientists combined a protein obtained from firefly luciferase with a special dye that allows the protein to emit NIR. In laboratory studies, the new material successfully detected small amounts of a specific blood protein, called factor Xa, which is utilized to monitor the effectiveness of heparin treatment. It has the potential for improved monitoring of heparin therapy, according to the researchers.

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