Aggregation-induced emission biomaterials for anti-pathogen medical applications: detecting, imaging and killing

Microbial pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, greatly threaten the global public health. For pathogen infections, early diagnosis and precise treatment are essential to cut the mortality rate. The emergence of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) biomaterials provides an effective and promising tool for the theranostics of pathogen infections. In this review, the recent advances about AIE biomaterials for anti-pathogen theranostics are summarized. With the excellent sensitivity and photostability, AIE biomaterials have been widely applied for precise diagnosis of pathogens. Besides, different types of anti-pathogen methods based on AIE biomaterials will be presented in detail, including chemotherapy and phototherapy. Finally, the existing deficiencies and future development of AIE biomaterials for anti-pathogen applications will be discussed.

Automated summary

Microbial pathogens pose a significant threat to global public health. Early diagnosis and precise treatment are crucial for reducing mortality rates. The advancement of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) biomaterials offers a promising tool for the theranostics of pathogen infections. This review summarizes recent progress in AIE biomaterials for anti-pathogen theranostics, including their application in precise pathogen diagnosis and different anti-pathogen methods such as chemotherapy and phototherapy. The existing limitations and future prospects of AIE biomaterials in anti-pathogen applications are also discussed.