Tunable, Ultrasensitive pH‐Responsive Nanoparticles Targeting Specific Endocytic Organelles in Living Cells

Abstract

Switch it up: Tunable, pH-responsive nanoparticles can be selectively activated in different endocytic compartments. At high pH values, micelle formation (see picture, left) quenches fluorescence by Förster resonance energy transfer. The micelles disassemble at low pH values, leading to fluorescence emission. This nonlinear on/off nanoplatform offers many exciting opportunities in diagnostic imaging and drug-delivery applications.