The overall goal of this proposal is to develop a molecular optical probe that can be used for quantitative spatial and temporal monitoring of MicroRNAs (miRNAs) expression levels in single living cell. A novel integrated optical probe will be constructed that will enable detection of a fluorophore reporter and a quencher at the other. In addition to this Molecular Beacon structure, another optical probe will be attached to this structure that will carry a stable dye and will function as a reference point and remains unquenched. This will facilitate the use of the integrated probe for quantitative measurements of miRNAs in both space and time.
