Opportunities and challenges of nature-inspired nanosensors to evince the value of diagnostics in curbing AMR

Beatriz Prieto-Simón*,1,2

¹Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, Av. Països Catalans, 16, 43007, Tarragona, Spain

²ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain

* bprieto@iciq.es

The rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health challenge. Research efforts to tackle this health threat have traditionally focused on developing new drugs. Leading global experts on AMR have now reached consensus on prioritizing timely and accurate identification of causative pathogens, especially those which are drug resistant, as a crucial step for a successful treatment. Shifting from evidence-based empirical treatments to informed therapies can be enormously benefitted by developing new rapid diagnostic technologies.

To support this premise with scientific evidence, our research aims at delivering a new class of electrochemical nanosensors rationally designed to provide diagnostic solutions along the dynamic process of infection, from assessing host immune response at the early stages of infection, identifying the causative pathogen and drug resistance, to supporting therapeutic drug monitoring. To deal with such broad range of analytes and biofluids available for analysis, new diagnostic tools that excel in their versatility, providing outstanding accuracy, selectivity and quick turnaround time, are required. Moreover, from inception they have to be conceived to address key challenges for seamless integration into clinical practice, especially their implementation in low- and middle-income countries.

To meet those requirements, our research explores the role of carbon-stabilized porous silicon as nanostructured transducer with major advantages for electrochemical analysis, such as high surface-to-volume ratio, unique charge transport properties, control over morphological and electrical features, and ease of surface modification with chemical functionalities and interfacing biological entities. By combining hybrid multilayer structures, site-specifically grafted polymers and adhered bacterial biofilms, nature-inspired sensing mechanisms are mimicked to deliver sensing information supporting guidance on the choice and dose of suitable narrow-spectrum antibiotics.

We will delve into the strengths and weaknesses of these sensors to shed light on the paths required to ease their adoption within infection management and, eventually, contribute to dwindle AMR.