Novel Organic and Inorganic Antimicrobial Materials

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a serious global threat to human health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), AMR-related mortality is projected to reach 10 million annually by 2050, surpassing deaths caused by cancer and diabetes.

To address this urgent challenge, our team is actively developing a range of novel antimicrobial agents. These include inorganic-based materials, such as spontaneous reactive oxygen species (ROS)-releasing antimicrobials, ion-releasing compounds, and photocatalytic systems. Over the past few years, we have successfully engineered a series of spontaneous ROS-releasing antimicrobials that exhibit strong antimicrobial efficacy and do not require external energy input.

We are also exploring organic-based antimicrobials, particularly polymeric structures featuring positively charged head groups and hydrophobic tails. These polymers disrupt bacterial membranes through non-specific lysis, making it difficult for pathogens to develop resistance.

The antimicrobial technologies we are developing have broad applications, including environmental disinfection and self-disinfecting medical devices (e.g. antimicrobial catheters).