Antimicrobial strategy for targeted elimination of different microbes, including bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens

• Main Authors: Ito, K. (Author), Iwase, T. (Author), Kobayashi, H. (Author), Mitsunaga, M. (Author), Miyakawa, K. (Author), Miyata, H. (Author), Mizunoe, Y. (Author), Morita, T. (Author), Nishimura, T. (Author), Ryo, A. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Research 2022
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 The continuous emergence of microbial pathogens for which there are no effective antimicrobials threatens global health, necessitating novel antimicrobial approaches. Here, we present a targeted antimicrobial strategy that can be applied to various microbial pathogens. A photoimmuno-conjugate composed of an antibody against the target pathogen and a photoplastic phthalocyanine-derivative probe that generates photo-induced mechanical stress was developed based on photoimmuno-technology. This strategy, named as photoimmuno-antimicrobial strategy (PIAS), eliminates targeted pathogens, regardless of the target species or drug-resistance status. Specifically, PIAS acts on a broad range of microbes, including the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, fungal pathogen Candida albicans, including their drug-resistant strains, and viral pathogen SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Furthermore, PIAS protects mice from fatal infections without damaging the non-targeted host microbiota and tissues. This study may contribute to the development of next-generation anti-infective therapies. © 2022, The Author(s).