Engineering Nanodelivery Systems Against Bacterial Infections

Despite major advances in modern medicine, bacterial diseases remain a substantial global health burden; at least two of the world’s top ten causes of death are directly linked to infectious diseases with major bacterial contributions, including lower respiratory infections and tuberculosis. Continued population growth, urbanization, and globalization have accelerated transmission and expanded opportunities for bacterial evolution, increasing strain diversity and mutational burden. Although small-molecule antibiotics remain the primary treatment modality for bacterial infections, their efficacy is often limited against intracellular pathogens that evade extracellular drug exposure. Furthermore, widespread antibiotic overuse in both healthcare and agriculture has accelerated the emergence of drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant bacteria. While vaccines have successfully prevented select bacterial diseases, many clinically significant infections - including urinary tract infections (UTI) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) - still lack approved prophylactic vaccines.This Research Topic aims to consolidate emerging advances in the design and application of nanostructures for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections. By bringing together contributions spanning bacteriology, immunology, nanotechnology, biomaterials, and vaccine research, the collection seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on how engineered nanostructures can modulate host-pathogen interactions, enable precise immune modulation beyond what can be achieved by individual vaccine components alone, and improve targeted antimicrobial delivery and antibacterial efficacy beyond the limitations of conventional small-molecule antibiotics. Key objectives include advancing the understanding of nanostructured vaccine and adjuvant platforms, immunomodulatory therapeutics, bactericidal nanomaterials, and targeted delivery systems, while identifying novel strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance and persistent bacterial infections.We welcome contributions addressing the following themes:- New approaches for building immune recognition capabilities, sustained release, and longer antigen presentation of known and established antigens- Discovery and utilization of new and unknown antigens and adjuvants for building antibacterial immunity- Novel approaches for killing intracellular bacteria and biofilm-forming bacteria- Targeted delivery in vivo to sites of infection- Stimuli-responsive chemistries for building smart antibiotic release systems- Developing novel prophylactic platforms for diseases whose vaccines are not commercially available, or are an improvement on commercially available formulations- Immunotherapeutic approaches to eradicating bacterial infections- Pre-clinical evaluation of the safety and efficacy of prophylactic and therapeutic nanostructure candidatesIf you are interested in submitting or have any questions, please contact the journal email: bacteriology@frontiersin.org. Topic editors: María Cecilia Becerra, Jeongmin Hwang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82084/engineering-nanodelivery-systems-against-bacterial-infections