Production, Analysis, and Application of Spatially Resolved Shells in Solid-Phase Polymer Spheres

Abstract

Two-photon fluorescence microscopy has been used to interrogate the interior functionality of polymer resin beads. By employing this technique, the spatial distribution of the initial functionality contained within the polymer matrix has been determined. Spatially resolved, concentric shells were then produced synthetically in these polymer spheres via a series of protection/deprotection reactions in which two-photon fluorescence microscopy was employed to monitor each successive step. To demonstrate the potential utility of these techniques in combinatorial screening, a set of beads was prepared containing a unique tripeptide sequence in each of the three concentric shells within each individual bead. The set was then screened for the binding affinity of each tripeptide toward a fluorescent ligand.