Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41482540›Full record

ArticleNature biotechnology2026

Effective combinatorial antifungal therapy using a host defense peptide mimic that self-assembles into delivery micelles.

Longqiang Liu, Min Zhou, Ximian Xiao, Zihao Cong, Yueming Wu, Jiayang Xie, Qiang Zhang, Junyu Zhang, Weinan Jiang, Runhui Liu

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Longqiang Liu *State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Min Zhou *State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Ximian XiaoSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China.
Zihao CongSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China.
Yueming WuShanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Specially Functional Polymeric Materials and Related Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Jiayang XieSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China.
Qiang ZhangShanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Specially Functional Polymeric Materials and Related Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Junyu ZhangSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China.
Weinan JiangSuzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China.
Runhui LiuState Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China. rliu@ecust.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7699-086X

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 22305082National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 22475069National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 52203162National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) T2325010
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The synergistic combination of two antimicrobial drugs is a promising therapeutic modality for many infectious diseases. However, systemic fungal infections still have a high mortality rate because of distinct in vivo distributions of the two drugs. Here we address this challenge by designing an antifungal polymer that forms micelles suitable for delivering a second antifungal agent to achieve temporal and spatial consistency of delivery. We show that the polymer, which mimics host defense peptides, exerts a synergistic effect with the antifungal amphotericin B (AmB). The AmB-encapsulated micelles (AmBmicelles) greatly reduce the toxicity of AmB through slow release and expand its therapeutic window in vivo. AmBmicelles can selectively target fungal pathogens through charge interactions with the fungal membrane. In mouse models of systemic candidiasis and cryptococcal meningitis, AmBmicelles increase the survival rate by 67-100% compared to the state-of-the-art drug AmBisome or AmBisome and 5-flucytosine combination, suggesting that the strategy may be effective in combating drug-resistant fungal infections including meningitis.

Identifiers

PMID41482540

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.