Recent advances in organic fluorescent probes for tumor related enzyme detection

Cancers have become one of the major public health problems, which seriously threaten the health of the global population. Therefore, the development of early diagnosis technology and timely treatment of cancer is urgent. Recent research found that the use of tumor markers for early cancer screening has practical significance. There are a variety of techniques for detecting tumor markers in clinical practice, such as ELISA, PCR, biosensors, electrochemical sensors. Compared to these traditional methods, fluorescence imaging shows great potential for its high resolution and cell compatibility. As an important type of tumor markers, many enzymes are found to be related to tumors. In the past years, significant efforts have been made in the design of organic fluorescent probes for tumor related enzyme detection. Herein, we will describe an overview of organic fluorescent probes for tumor related enzyme detection, which involves the specific recognition unit, the design principle, the luminescence mechanism, the biological application and the further development.