Bio-orthogonal Click Chemistry for In Vivo Bioimaging

The rapid advancement of bio-orthogonal click chemistry in the past decade has enabled the study and precise manipulation of biological processes within living organisms. The capability to induce fast and selective chemical reactions between two exogenous complementary moieties in living systems, with negligible perturbation to their native activities, have rendered bio-orthogonal click chemistry highly promising for a multitude of bioapplications. This review provides an overview of recent developments in bio-orthogonal click chemistry for bioimaging in living organisms. Bio-orthogonal click reactions commonly performed in in vivo systems and their in vivo biological labeling and imaging applications, particularly for the visualization of biomolecular processes, therapeutic cells, tumors, and bacteria, are discussed. Potential future directions of this exciting area are also presented.