Described herein are methods, compositions and articles of manufacture involving neutral conjugated polymers including methods for synthesis of neutral conjugated water-soluble polymers with linkers along the polymer main chain structure and terminal end capping units. Such polymers may serve in the fabrication of novel optoelectronic devices and in the development of highly efficient biosensors. The invention further relates to the application of these polymers in assay methods.

A polysiloxane-substituted quinacridone pigment is produced by a quinacridone pigment with an epoxy-terminated polysiloxane under conditions effective to cause the epoxy group on the polysiloxane to react with, and bond the polysiloxane to, the quinacridone pigment. The quinacridone pigment thus produced has the polysiloxane grouping bonded to one of the quinacridone nitrogen atoms via a hydrocarbon linking group, which bears a hydroxyl group on a carbon atom or to the quinacridone nitrogen atom. These quinacridone pigments are useful in electrophoretic displays.

Water-soluble, fluorescent particles and compositions, kits, and methods of making and using such particles are disclosed. Processes for preparing fluorescent particles and for controlling the size, polydispersity and optical properties of such particles also are provided.

Provided herein are hybrid pigments and methods of making the same. The hybrid pigments include a natural polyamide substrate and an acid dye disposed on the natural polyamide substrate. The hybrid pigments are biodegradable, compostable, or both, and provide an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic polymer particle-based pigments.

Polymer shells similar to those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,782 can be formed on pigment particles by (a) physi-sorping a reagent comprising polymerizable groups on to the pigment particles by treating the particle with a reagent having a polymerizable or polymerization-initiating group, such that the reagent will not desorb from the particle surface when the particle is placed in a hydrocarbon medium; or (b) treating pigment particles bearing nucleophilic groups with a reagent having a polymerizable or polymerization-initiating group, and an electrophilic group, thus attaching the polymerizable or polymerization-initiating groups to the particle surface. The zeta potential of the pigment particles can be varied by a process similar to (b) but using a reagent which does not have a polymerizable or polymerization-initiating group.

Polymer shells similar to those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,782 can be formed on pigment particles by (a) physi-sorping a reagent comprising polymerizable groups on to the pigment particles by treating the particle with a reagent having a polymerizable or polymerization-initiating group, such that the reagent will not desorb from the particle surface when the particle is placed in a hydrocarbon medium; or (b) treating pigment particles bearing nucleophilic groups with a reagent having a polymerizable or polymerization-initiating group, and an electrophilic group, thus attaching the polymerizable or polymerization-initiating groups to the particle surface. The zeta potential of the pigment particles can be varied by a process similar to (b) but using a reagent which does not have a polymerizable or polymerization-initiating group.

Described herein are methods, compositions and articles of manufacture involving neutral conjugated polymers including methods for synthesis of neutral conjugated water-soluble polymers with linkers along the polymer main chain structure and terminal end capping units. Such polymers may serve in the fabrication of novel optoelectronic devices and in the development of highly efficient biosensors. The invention further relates to the application of these polymers in assay methods.

The present invention aims at providing a novel indocyanine compound solving problems of conventionally used indocyanine green, such as solubility in water or physiological saline, a synthesis method and a purification method thereof, and a diagnostic composition including the novel indocyanine compound. Further, provided are a method for evaluating biokinetics of the novel indocyanine compound and a device for measuring biokinetics, and a method and a device for visualizing circulation of fluid such as blood in a living body, which utilize the diagnostic composition. Also, found are a novel indocyanine compound in which a hydrophobic moiety in a near-infrared fluorescent indocyanine molecule is included in a cavity of a cyclic sugar chain cyclodextrin to cover the hydrophobic moiety in the indocyanine molecule with the glucose, and a synthesis method and a purification method thereof. Furthermore, found are a method for fluorescence-imaging an organ other than liver by intravenous administration, a method for evaluating biokinetics of the novel indocyanine compound, a device for measuring biokinetics, and a method and a device for visualizing circulation of fluid such as blood in a living body, utilizing the diagnostic composition including the novel indocyanine compound.

A liquid concentrate of pigments of mineral and organic hybrid solid particles of 0.5 to 2 m, including a copolymer consisting of: 5 to 40 wt % of anchor sequence(s) consisting of a linear copolymer formed from a first monomer with a basic nitrogenous group added from compound(s) selected from vinylpyridines, and a second monomer of the anchor sequence consists of an ethylene monomer containing an aromatic group, the weight content of the first monomer relative to the second monomer being 40-60 wt %, 25 to 90 wt % of the hydrophobic sequence(s) obtained from a polymer-substituted ethylene macromonomer of which the monomer units contain COOR.sub.10 groups, where R.sub.10 is an optionally substituted C1-C10 alkyl, and 5 to 70 wt % of hydrophilic sequence(s) obtained from an ethylene macromonomer substituted by a hydrophilic sequence comprising a polyethylene glycol sequence substituted by a terminal alkoxy group, or connected to a polypropylene glycol sequence.

An object of the present invention is to provide: a staining agent for tissue staining which has an improved fluorescence signal evaluation accuracy; and a tissue staining kit comprising the staining agent. The staining agent for tissue staining contains, as a staining component, dye-resin particles comprising thermosetting resin particles and a fluorescent dye immobilized on the resin particles, wherein the resin particles contains a substituent having an electric charge opposite to that of the fluorescent dye and forms an ionic bond or a covalent bond with the fluorescent dye, and the dye-resin particles have a particle size variation coefficient of 15% or less.