Biosafety chemistry and biosafety materials:A new perspective to solve biosafety problems

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID‐19)has rapidly swept around the globe since its emergence near 2020.However,people have failed to fully understand its origin or mutation.Defined as an international biosafety incident,COVID‐19 has again encouraged worldwide attention to reconsider the importance of biosafety due to the adverse impact on personal well‐being and social stability.Most countries have already taken measures to advocate progress in biosafety‐relevant research,aiming to prevent and solve biosafety problems with more advanced techniques and products.Herein,we propose a new concept of biosafety chemistry and reiterate the notion of biosafety materials,which refer to the interdisciplinary integration of biosafety and chemistry or materials.We attempt to illustrate the exquisite association that chemistry and materials science possess with biosafety‐science,and we hope to provide a pragmatic perspective on approaches to utilize the knowledge of these two subjects to handle specific biosafety issues,such as detection and disinfection of pathogenic microorganisms,personal protective equipment,vaccine adjuvants and specific drugs,etc..In addition,we hope to promote multidisciplinary cooperation to strengthen biosafety research and facilitate the development of biosafety products to defend national security in the future.

Biosafety materials:Ushering in a new era of infectious disease diagnosis and treatment with the CRISPR/Cas system

Despite multiple virus outbreaks over the past decade,including the devastating coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,the lack of accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment technologies has wreaked havoc on global biosecurity.The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated proteins(Cas)system has the potential to address these critical needs for tackling infectious diseases to detect viral nucleic acids and inhibit viral replication.This review summarizes how the CRISPR/Cas system is being utilized for the treatment and diagnosis of infectious diseases with the help of biosafety materials and highlights the design principle and in vivo and in vitro efficacy of advanced biosafety materials used to deal with virus attacks.

Ti-MOF-based biosafety materials for efficient and long-life disinfection via synergistic photodynamic and photothermal effects

Pathogenic bacterial infection is severely threatening public health globally.The multi-modal antibacterial nanoplatforms could significantly improve the antibacterial efficiency.Here,we report a metal(Ti)-organic framework(MOF)derived nanocarbon(C-Ti-MOF)as a biosafety material for synergistic sterilization of pathogenic bacteria via efficient photodynamic catalysis and robust photothermal effects.The C-Ti-MOF consists of abundant TiO_(2) nanodots embedded in graphitic carbon frameworks.Under visible light irradiation,TiO_(2) nanodots can catalyze H_(2)O_(2) and O_(2) to produce superoxide anion(•O_(2)^(–))and singlet oxygen(1O2),respectively.Meanwhile,under near-infrared irradiation(NIR),C-Ti-MOF can generate massive heat to destroy bacterial membranes.Systematic antibacterial experiments reveal that the C-Ti-MOF nanoagents have a long-lasting and nearly 100%bactericidal ratio at an extremely low dose(0.16 mg/mL),which is much better than the state-of-the-art TiO_(2)(Commercial TiO_(2)(P25),0.64 mg/mL).Furthermore,the C-Ti-MOF can be electrospun into an antibacterial nanofiber membrane via mixing with polymeric matrix for treating bacteriacontaminated wastewater,and the membranes possess integrated antibacterial activity and excellent biocompatibility.Our study demonstrates a promising Ti-MOF-based biosafety material for efficient and long-life disinfection,which may stimulate new research in MOF-related biological applications in various disciplines ranging from water decontaminations to nanotherapeutics.

Biosafety materials for tuberculosis treatment

Tuberculosis(TB)is among the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide.Although the existing antituberculosis(anti-TB)drugs remain to be effective,the administration of these complex anti-TB drug combinations with obvious toxicity often leads to patients’nonadherence.This may contribute toward the emergence of drug-resistant strains as well as lead to treatment failure and relapse.Therefore,in the past half century,the main focus of anti-TB drug research was to reduce the frequency of administration and toxicity and improve patients’compliance and drug sensitivity.Following these principles,the development of engineered biosafety materials is one of the most effective and promising methods in resolving these challenges.Compared with traditional drugs,biosafety materials provide a viable platform for treating TB,which are beneficial in reducing the frequency of drug administration and systemic toxicity,improving patients’compliance and drug sensitivity,and enhancing drug targeting.In this review,we summarized the application of biosafety materials in treatment of TB in recent years and discussed the challenges faced when developing a safe,more effective,and economical pharmacotherapy against TB.

Advanced materials for the delivery of vaccines for infectious diseases

Infectious diseases are an increasing threat to global biosafety.Vaccination is the most effective and costefficient method for preventing and controlling infectious diseases.The development of new vaccines is inextricably linked to the advancement of materials that serve as essential components of vaccines,such as antigens,adjuvants,and their carriers.The physicochemical and biological properties of vaccines-such as the kinetics of antigen retention and presentation-are determined by the material compositions of vaccines and carriers,affecting the overall efficacy.The sustained release of antigens prolongs their retention time in germinal centers and improves humoral immune responses.Pulsatile release that imitates clinical dosing regimens can improve patient adherence to vaccination,affording increased vaccine coverage.Herein,we review progress of materials innovation on altering vaccine release kinetics,which affects the overall vaccine efficacy,safety,and compliance.

Combination of chemistry and material science to overcome health problems

Since its outbreak,the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has strongly influenced the life of the general public around the world.Based on its fast spread and high mortality,there is a need for novel therapeutic treatments to overcome this global health crisis.While medicinal chemistry is focused on the development of highly selective and affine inhibitors toward a specific target enzyme,material science is focused on the development of nanomaterials for selective drug delivery.Based on the individual strengths,these disciplines could synergistically act together and help overcome the limitations of the respective approach.Herein,the combination of medicinal chemistry with material science to overcome health problems with the example of SARS-CoV-2 is critically discussed.