Nanoparticles for Signaling in Biodiagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases

Abstract

[EN]Advances in nanoparticle-based systems constitute a promising research area with important implications for the treatment of bacterial infections, especially against multidrug resistant strains and bacterial biofilms. Nanosystems may be useful for the diagnosis and treatment of viral and fungal infections. Commercial diagnostic tests based on nanosystems are currently available. Different methodologies based on nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed to detect specific agents or to distinguish between Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. Also, biosensors based on nanoparticles have been applied in viral detection to improve available analytical techniques. Several point-of-care (POC) assays have been proposed that can offer results faster, easier and at lower cost than conventional techniques and can even be used in remote regions for viral diagnosis. Nanoparticles functionalized with specific molecules may modulate pharmacokinetic targeting recognition and increase anti-infective efficacy. Quorum sensing is a stimuli-response chemical communication process correlated with population density that bacteria use to regulate biofilm formation.