Activated AlKoxyamIne Conjugated NanoparticLes as AntibacteriaL AgEnts foR Plants – KILLER

Since several years, agriculture has been turning back to the massive use of pesticides to save crops from pests, such as bacteria, which may wreak havoc on crucial crops for humanity. ONE HEALTH concept approved by several countries promotes a global approach for the fight against bacteria for humans and the environment by using fundamentally new drugs and methods. There is no doubt that securing the feeding chain has a tremendous impact on the general welfare of humanity. The KILLER proposal aims to bring an important breakthrough in the concept of antimicrobial treatments through the development of a versatile family of inorganic nanoparticles conjugated with radical initiators (alkoxyamines R1R2NOR3) envisioning a controlled and localised generation of radicals and Reactive Oxygen Species based on the activation of nanoparticles by external stimuli. We choose to focus on two complementary types of inorganic nanoparticles able to generate an important heating upon external stimuli: (i) Iron oxide nanoparticles, Fe3O4, activated by an applied alternating current magnetic field, and (ii) Prussian blue nano-objects triggered by near infrared irradiation. The aim of the KILLER proposal is to provide a proof of concept for our approach and test it in vitro and in vivo on young plant (model olive tree and grape vine) diseases caused by an EU emerging pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa bacterium.