Nanoparticles and Other Nanostructures and the Control of Pathogens: From Bench to Vaccines

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the progress of antibiotherapy, microorganisms develop drug resistance. Vaccines are not always available and new approaches to elicit immune response are necessary. The numerous articles dealing with and proposing nanostructures as solutions clearly show the importance of these public health concerns.

In this context, an up-to-date state of the art is of great interest. The intent of this Special Issue is to put forth the different aspects of the fight against pathogens. If the most frequent topic is the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and fungi, control of viruses is also of importance as shown by the recent epidemic. Parasites are somewhat neglected. Malaria, for example, is one of the most prevalent infections, while resistance to antimalarials is still of great concern. For these different purposes, nanostructures are of the utmost importance as they introduce a different way of dealing with microorganisms. Nanoparticles can be designed in their whole architecture (core, corona) to interact with pathogens for purposes of imaging, direct treatment or even stimulation of the immune system to fight infections. The field of nanostructures used in infectious medicine is wide and ranges from diagnosis in vivo and in vitro, treatment that circumvents microorganism resistance and vaccine design such as the recently introduced anti-COVID-19 vaccines using nanoparticle moieties. Pathogens present in the environment may be a source of water- or air-borne infections. Thus, their control cannot be set aside.

In conclusion, the problem of pathogenic microorganisms either in vivo or in the environment has to be considered in a realistic and practical way. The design of the used nanoarchitectures, the mechanisms by which they deal with the pathogens and, for in vivo models, their toxicity and induced immunological response (antibodies, cellular immunity, non-specific immunity, etc.) must be addressed.

Prof. Dr. Alain E. Le Faou
Dr. Ariane Boudier
Guest Editors

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