Progresses on aggregation-induced emission luminogens-armed bacteriophages

To address the growing global challenge of antibiotic resistance, the development of novel drug formulations with high specificity, excellent antibacterial activity, and the ability to reduce the generation of bacterial resistance has become an urgent and critical task. Recently, new molecular materials with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties have shown great potential in disease treatment due to their unique luminescent properties and high biocompatibility. By combining phage therapy with AIE-based photodynamic therapy (PDT), a new antibacterial strategy, known as AIE-armed phages, has been developed. This innovative approach not only enables bacterial imaging in vivo but also enhances targeted bacterial eradication through the synergistic effects of PDT and phage therapy. This review summarizes the research progress of AIE-armed phages, highlighting the unique targeting and visualization capabilities of this biological conjugate, demonstrating its potential to precisely locate and effectively eliminate bacteria, and discusses future directions for optimizing AIE-armed phages.