Dyes in Diagnostics

Dyes and dye precursors are often essential components in reagents for medical diagnostics. The type and the attributes of suitable dyes depend on the basis of the technology used for the analysis of the diagnostic parameter to be determined. To avoid interferences by coloured or turbid serum components, dyes which absorb at wavelengths > 550 nm are preferred. In this article, some diagnostic principles are discussed and examples of applications of dyes are given. Examples demonstrating the versatility of the phenoxazine dye resorufin in the preparation of suitable compounds are also presented.