Hai-Yu Hu, PhD | Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Leilei Zhang, PhD; Qian Liu, PhD
Competition Sponsor: Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Awardee Year: 2025
Bacterial infections remain a major global health threat, and the rise of antimicrobial resistance highlights the need for rapid, accurate, and low-cost pathogen diagnostics. We previously developed an NTR-activated fluorescent probe that is non-fluorescent in its native state but rapidly turns on in the presence of bacterial NTR and NADH, enabling selective real-time imaging of live bacteria. The probe shows minimal interference from hypoxic tissues, reaches reaction equilibrium within minutes, and enables ultra-rapid detection within 30 min. It has been successfully applied for rapid identification of ESKAPE pathogens. Building on these results, this project aims to optimize probe synthesis for scalable production, establish a sensitive and specific detection workflow and prototype kit, validate its performance across ESKAPE species, and evaluate clinical feasibility in sputum, urine, and blood samples. The overall goal is to deliver a clinically applicable diagnostic workflow that enables rapid pathogen identification and antimicrobial resistance screening, thereby supporting translational development and generating high-impact outcomes.