Cyanine7 azide | CAS 1557397-59-7

Cyanine7 azide is a cyanine-based fluorescent azide designed for copper-free click chemistry workflows, enabling efficient attachment of the Cy7 fluorophore to biomolecules, targeting ligands, and materials via azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Its near-infrared emission supports reduced background in fluorescence imaging and labeling applications where deeper tissue penetration or lower autofluorescence is advantageous. In practice, Cyanine7 azide is commonly used as a modular fluorophore handle for constructing labeled probes, conjugates, and imaging reagents with defined attachment sites.

1. Biomolecule Labeling

Cyanine7 azide is frequently used by chemical biology and bioconjugation groups to install a Cy7 fluorophore onto proteins, peptides, and other biomacromolecules that have been functionalized with complementary alkyne groups. Researchers use the resulting Cy7-labeled conjugates for fluorescence imaging and localization studies, including tracking binding interactions on cell surfaces and monitoring biomolecule trafficking in microscopy experiments. The azide functionality provides a convenient labeling handle for site-specific or modular conjugate construction, supporting workflows where the fluorophore must be introduced without relying on traditional dye-derivatization chemistries.

2. Fluorescence Imaging Probes

Cyanine7 azide is widely employed in fluorescence probe development for building near-infrared imaging reagents used in microscopy and optical readout assays. Teams developing small-molecule or macromolecular imaging tools use the azide to generate Cy7-containing probes that can be assembled from alkyne-bearing targeting components, enabling rapid iteration of probe architectures for imaging experiments. This approach is particularly useful when probe design requires controlled dye loading, consistent labeling chemistry across batches, or integration of the fluorophore into larger constructs such as multivalent ligands or probe conjugates used in molecular imaging workflows.

3. Surface And Polymer Functionalization

Cyanine7 azide is also used in biomaterials research to fluorescently tag surfaces, coatings, and polymer matrices through click-based coupling to alkyne-functionalized materials. Materials scientists incorporate the Cy7 signal to visualize coating uniformity, track material interactions with biomolecules, and generate fluorescently labeled scaffolds for imaging-based characterization. In these applications, the azide group enables post-functionalization of prepared materials, allowing researchers to introduce the near-infrared fluorophore after surface preparation steps and to tailor labeling density by controlling the extent of coupling.

4. Nucleic Acid Conjugate Construction

Cyanine7 azide is applied in nucleic acid analysis workflows where Cy7-labeled oligonucleotides or oligonucleotide conjugates are required for fluorescence-based assays. Researchers use click-compatible conjugation strategies to attach the Cy7 fluorophore to alkyne-modified nucleic acid components, supporting probe and labeling reagent preparation for fluorescence readouts in nucleic acid hybridization and related analytical formats. This modular labeling strategy is valued when oligonucleotide labeling must be performed under conditions compatible with sensitive biomolecular structures and when consistent fluorophore placement is important for assay reproducibility.