ZW800-1 Forte, TFP
ZW800-1 Forte-Tetrafluorphenyl (TFP) is a high-stability, zwitterionic, general-purpose NIR fluorophore with peak emission ≈ 800 nm for use with Channel #2 of the FLARE® imaging system. ZW800-1 Forte-TFP is an improvement over ZW800-1 Forte-NHS that allows for the same amide bond formation in a simple, one-step conjugation reaction with a much lower rate of hydrolysis in aqueous environments. This allows for more robust reaction conditions with less starting material being required to overcome hydrolysis to the unreactive carboxylic acid. Because of its “zwitterionic” chemical structure, it exhibits extremely low non-specific binding and uptake in vitro and in vivo, and can help solubilize poorly soluble targeting ligands. Once conjugated, Forte fluorophores exhibit exceptionally high stability in warm serum.