Enzymes in Synergy: Bacteria Specific Molecular Probe for Locoregional Imaging of Urinary Tract Infection in vivo.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPECs) is a leading cause for urinary tract infections (UTI), accounting for 70-90 % of community or hospital-acquired bacterial infections owing to high recurrence, imprecision in diagnosis and management, and increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. Current methods for clinical UPECs detection still rely on labor-intensive urine cultures that impede rapid and accurate diagnosis for timely UTI therapeutic management. Herein, we developed a first-in-class near-infrared (NIR) UPECs fluorescent probe (NO-AH) capable of specifically targeting UPECs through its collaborative response to bacterial enzymes, enabling locoregional imaging of UTIs both in vitro and in vivo.

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy for the Remote Eradication of Bacteria.

The emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria strains has been an uphill battle in modern healthcare worldwide, due to the increasing difficulty of killing them. The evolving pathogenicity of bacteria has led to researchers searching for more effective antimicrobial therapeutics to successfully eliminate them without undesirable consequences to the human body. In recent years, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT), an obsolete technique for cancer treatments, has been reported to eradicate bacteria and biofilm-related infections.