Molecular thermometers for potential applications in thermal ablation procedures

Thermal ablation is a promising minimally invasive method for treating tumors without surgical intervention. Thermal ablation uses thermal sources such as lasers, radiowaves or focused ultrasound to increase the temperature of the tumor to levels lethal to cancer cells. This treatment based on heat therapy may be problematic as the temperature of the operation site is unknown. To address this problem, we developed optical molecular thermometers that can potentially measure the temperature on a molecular scale and be compatible with in vivo measurements. The thermometers are centered on a combination of two fluorophores emitting in two distinct spectral ranges and having different temperature-dependent emission properties. In this design, a fluorophore with relatively insensitive temperature-dependent fluorescence serves as a reference while another sensitive fluorophore serves as a sensor. We have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach using a coumarin-rhodamine conjugate. The sensitivity of the construct to the clinically relevant ablation temperatures (20-85°C) was demonstrated in vitro.