Thermal monitoring plays a paramount role in disease diagnosis. The currently available techniques are not performing satisfactorily
for sophisticated in vivo temperature mapping. Employing luminescence for in vivo temperature assessment has attracted substantial
interest in the past decade. However, despite their great promise and impact, to date, luminescent nanothermometers have not
surpassed preclinical stages. Here, nano-safety, toxicity, and biocompatibility remain vivid issues, as the majority of the proposed
fluorescent nanothermometers are built of heavy metals (rare-earth nanoparticles, quantum dots). In order to move towards usage of
luminescent nanothermometers on the clinical level there is a clear need to resolve these obstacles, which is the goal of project
LUMITOOLS. To achieve this goal, at this stage moving away from nanothermometers built of heavy metals seems well judged, at
least until current toxicity and accumulation risks can be suitably addressed and rectified. The project aims at building
nanothermometers from degradable periodic mesoporous organosilica materials combined with an appropriately selected dye
mixture. The aim is to develop stable, well-performing nanothermometers, which thoroughly annihilate after they have done their
job, would constitute an important advancement for future research efforts on in vivo thermometry applications. This project would allow delivering nanothermometers with true potential for implementatioin in clinics.