The design and development of glucose probes for sensing and imaging within biological systems

Abstract

Glucose and glucose homeostasis are central to the regulation of biological processes, and the development of probes for glucose sensing and imaging in biological systems has long been of significant interest to the biological and chemical sciences community. The resulting body of literature is therefore vast, and this review aims to outline major contributions and approaches to provide insight into these probes’ working mechanisms with the aim of fostering the development of new glucose-sensing systems. This review summarizes advances in the design of glucose probes for biological sensing, and discusses the design principles behind seminal and more recent glucose probes, covering glucose analogue-based tracers, enzyme-based probes, fluorescent protein-based probes, lectin-based probes, and boronic acid-based glucose probes. Throughout, design principles will be emphasized and limitations and challenges of the existing landscape will be discussed, highlighting future opportunities and potential research directions.