Nanoscale thermometry for hyperthermia applications

Abstract

The importance of high-resolution intracellular thermal sensing and imaging in the field of modern biomedicine has boosted the development of novel nanosized fluorescent systems (fluorescent nanothermometers) as the next generation of probes for intracellular thermal sensing and imaging. This thermal mapping requires fluorescent nanothermometers with good biocompatibility and high thermal sensitivity in order to obtain submicrometric and subdegree spatial and thermal resolutions, respectively. This chapter revises the different nanometric systems that have been proposed to date for intracellular thermal sensing and imaging. We also include the later advances in molecular systems based on fluorescent proteins for thermal mapping. A critical overview of the state of the art and the future perspective is also included.