Near-IR Absorbing Quantum Dots Designed to Kill Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens infect millions of people in the US, with global predictions of 10 million annual deaths by 2050.¹ New classes of antibiotics are needed to address this global public health crisis. Light-activated quantum dots (QDs) can fill this role by perturbing the bacteria’s biochemical environment using specifically designed optoelectronic properties.¹ Inside bacteria, QDs can be energized by visible light, transferring electrons to O₂ to generate superoxide radicals. We show that low doses of QDs can kill pathogens without harming human cells. CdTe QDs, while effective,^2–5 are limited by the use of visible light for activation. As such, we recently developed two InP QDs which operate with tissue-penetrating near-IR and deep-red light.⁶ These heavy metal free QDs kill MDR pathogens without harming human cells. This work has the potential to treat dangerous infections of bacterial pathogens with a low-cost rational approach.
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