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Recent Strategies to Develop Conjugated Polymers for Detection and Therapeutics
Yutong Li1, Ruilian Qi1, Xiaoyu Wang2
1Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China.
Abstract:
The infectious diseases resulting from pathogenic microbes are highly contagious and the source of infection is difficult to control, which seriously endangers life and public health safety. Although the emergence of antibiotics has a good therapeutic effect in the early stage, the massive abuse of antibiotics has brought about the evolution of pathogens with drug resistance, which has gradually weakened the lethality and availability of antibiotics. Cancer is a more serious disease than pathogenic bacteria infection, which also threatens human life and health. Traditional treatment methods have limitations such as easy recurrence, poor prognosis, many side effects, and high toxicity. These two issues have led to the exploration and development of novel therapeutic agents (such as conjugated polymers) and therapeutic strategies (such as phototherapy) to avoid the increase of drug resistance and toxic side effects. As a class of organic polymer biological functional materials with excellent photoelectric properties, Conjugated polymers (CPs) have been extensively investigated in biomedical fields, such as the detection and treatment of pathogens and tumors due to their advantages of easy modification and functionalization, good biocompatibility and low cost. A rare comprehensive overview of CPs-based detection and treatment applications has been reported. This paper reviews the design strategies and research status of CPs used in biomedicine in recent years, introduces and discusses the latest progress of their application in the detection and treatment of pathogenic microorganisms and tumors according to different detection or treatment methods, as well as the limitations and potential challenges in prospective exploration.
Insights
Conjugated polymers (CPs) offer novel solutions for detecting and treating infectious diseases and cancer, overcoming antibiotic resistance and traditional therapy limitations. These advanced materials show promise for improved biomedical applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical engineering
- Materials science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Pathogenic microbes and cancer pose significant threats to public health, with existing treatments facing challenges like drug resistance and severe side effects.
- Antibiotic resistance has diminished the efficacy of conventional antimicrobial therapies.
- Traditional cancer treatments often suffer from recurrence, poor prognosis, and significant toxicity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the design strategies and recent advancements in conjugated polymers (CPs) for biomedical applications.
- To explore the application of CPs in the detection and treatment of pathogenic microorganisms and tumors.
- To discuss the limitations and future potential of CPs in biomedicine.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on conjugated polymers in biomedical fields.
- Analysis of CPs' design strategies, focusing on their photoelectric properties and functionalization.
- Categorization of CPs' applications based on detection and treatment methodologies for pathogens and tumors.
Main Results:
- Conjugated polymers (CPs) demonstrate significant potential in both detecting and treating infectious diseases and cancer.
- CPs offer advantages such as ease of modification, good biocompatibility, and low cost, making them versatile for biomedical applications.
- The review highlights diverse applications of CPs in phototherapy and diagnostic tools for various diseases.
Conclusions:
- Conjugated polymers represent a promising class of materials for developing next-generation therapeutic and diagnostic agents.
- CPs offer a viable strategy to combat antibiotic resistance and overcome limitations of traditional cancer therapies.
- Further research into CPs' design and application holds significant potential for advancing public health and medical treatments.
