Multivalent Nanosheet Antibody Mimics for Selective Microbial Recognition and Inactivation.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Immunology

Background:

• Natural antibodies are crucial for sensing and therapy but have limitations like poor stability, long discovery times, and high costs.
• Developing stable, efficient, and cost-effective antibody alternatives is essential for advancing diagnostics and therapeutics.
• Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanosheets offer unique properties for biomolecular applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create versatile antibody mimics with flexible recognition capabilities and luminescent properties.
• To enable selective recognition, detection, and inactivation of pathogenic bacteria.
• To explore TMD-tripeptide assemblies (TPA) as a novel class of artificial antibodies.

Main Methods:

• Spontaneous assembly of tripeptides with nitriloacetate-Cu groups onto TMD nanosheets via coordination bonding.
• Characterization of TMD-TPA antibody mimics and assessment of their binding affinities to bacteria.
• Experimental and molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate bacterial binding sites and interaction mechanisms.

Main Results:

• TMD-TPA antibody mimics demonstrated selective recognition of various pathogenic bacteria with nanomolar affinities.
• Dynamic and multivalent interactions were identified as key factors for recognition selectivity and affinity.
• Rapid, selective detection of single-copy pathogenic bacteria in human serum and urine was achieved.
• Effective inactivation of bacteria for therapeutic applications in infected mice was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• TMD-TPA antibody mimics represent a facile and effective approach to creating artificial antibodies.
• These mimics offer a promising alternative to natural antibodies for bacterial sensing and therapeutic applications.
• The study highlights the potential of engineered nanomaterials for developing next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics.