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This work was supported by grants PID2021-127983OB-C21, PID2021-127983OB-C22, PID2022-141293OB-I00, TED2021-129937B-I00, CNS2022-135495, PID2023-151078OB-I00, and ID2023-146775OB-I00 (INCLINA) funded by Spanish Ministeryof Science and Universities MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF - "A way of making Europe". This work has been supported by Comunidad de Madrid (S2022/BMD-7403 RENIM-CM). The ICN2 is supported by the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence program, Grant CEX2021-001214-S, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039.501100011033. UAB thanks the support from Generalitat de Catalunya (2021 SGR 00064 project). Authors acknowledge the use of instrumentation as well as the technical advice provided by the Joint Electron Microscopy Center at ALBA (JEMCA) and funding from Grant IU16-014206 (METCAM-FIB) to ICN2 funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with the support of the Ministry of Research and Universities, Generalitat de Catalunya. L.F. was supported by grant PID2022-136738OB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by a grant of Fundacion Ramon Areces. S.C. was supported by grant PID2020-114054RA-I00 and CNS2023-143646 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. F.Z. acknowledges the scholarship from the China Scholarship Council (No. 202108440235). J.R.O. thanks the Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR) for his predoctoral FI fellowship. M.P.O. acknowledges the financial support from MICINN for an FPU (FPU20/03166). A.A. is grateful for his Juan de la Cierva Fellowship Grant FJC2021-047006-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the "European Union NextGeneration EU/PRTR". J.H. is a Serra Hunter Fellow. B.S.A. is supported by an FPU predoctoral grant (FPU2022/00218).

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A Chromatic Nanoswitcher for Thermal Monitoring of Cell Metabolism

Publicated to:ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS. - 2025-01-22 35(22), DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202418813

Authors: Zhang F; París Ogáyar M; Artiga Á; Hernando J; Villar-Álvarez E; Lorenzo J; Salegi Ansa B; Cogliati S; Formentini L; Haro-González P; Ruiz-Molina D; Otaegui JR; Roscini C; Jaque D

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Abstract

Accurate sensing of intracellular temperature is crucial for understanding and monitoring cell metabolism, serving as an initial step toward diagnosing conditions such as mitochondria-related diseases. However, thermal monitoring of cell metabolism is challenging due to the minimal temperature variations caused by intracellular metabolic activity (typically approximate to 1 degrees C) and by the risk of crosstalk in intracellular sensors. A novel type of intracellular thermal sensor is presented, based on silica nanocapsules filled with a thermo-responsive fluorescent medium. This medium undergoes a reversible phase transition from solid to liquid at temperatures approximate to 37 degrees C, inducing a chromatic switch that facilitates remote thermal sensing. The chromatic switchers exhibit a thermal sensitivity of approximate to 13% degrees C--(1) at 37 degrees C, one of the highest reported for intracellular thermal sensing. Notably, the thermal response is unaffected by external factors such as pH, ionic strength, and viscosity. Moreover, it is confirmed that the response of the sensors is not affected by the cellular activity, underscoring their reliability for cytoplasmic temperature measurements. The potential of these sensors is demonstrated by measuring intracellular heating during the metabolic switch from mitochondrial to glycolytic activity, showcasing their potential for real-time, precise thermal monitoring (

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