Using Click Chemistry in Biology
Introduction by Kyle Gee, Ph.D.
R & D Director of Chemistry, Life Technologies
Several organic chemistry transformations have been utilized in a biological context, but none previously has experienced the explosive growth of the click reaction in biology. This rapid adoption is largely due to the reaction's speed and reliability, as well as its selectivity under demanding conditions.
The most popular reaction in the Click Chemistry genre is the copper(I)-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of azides with terminal alkynes,which are very stable under normal biological conditions, but in the presence of copper(I) they react with each other and nothing else. Byproducts are not a problem and the small size of these moieties is also a great benefit in biology -- only radioisotopes are smaller.
Life Technologies has been the leader in commercializing click chemistry reagents for use in biological systems. We have been happy to partner with thought leaders at institutions such as Scripps, Harvard Medical School, U.C.- Berkeley, M.I.T. and U. of Georgia while developing reliable products for use in biology that rely on the click reaction. We endeavor to continue our leadership in making the click reaction as useful as possible to the widest variety of biology experimentalists.
 | | BioProbes® Click Article Collection
Read the complete introduction by Dr. Gee and see the table of contents for the BioProbes® Click Article Collection.
Read the complete collection of some of our best click chemistry-centric articles from the award-winning BioProbes® Journal of Cell Biology.
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