Chapter 9: Newest approaches to singlet oxygen photosensitisation in biological media

Production of singlet molecular oxygen by photosensitisation remains the most common and convenient means of producing this non-radical yet highly-reactive oxygen species that participates in many chemical and biological processes. The details of singlet oxygen photosensitisation by organic dyes are well understood as well as its limitations. Novel materials and biomaterials with unprecedented optical, photophysical, and biological properties, as well as novel chemical and biological technologies have recently emerged that provide new opportunities for the controlled generation and delivery of singlet oxygen in biological media as well as for its detection and monitoring. This review summarises such novel contributions, ranging from stimulus-responsive switchable molecular photosensitisers to proteins as novel photoactive biotherapeutic drugs to metallic nanostructures as plasmonic antennas for singlet oxygen.