Sialylglycan-Assembled Supra-Dots for Ratiometric Probing and Blocking of Human-Infecting Influenza Viruses

The seasonal outbreak of influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide because a number of influenza virus (IV) strains have been shown to infect and circulate in humans. Development of effective means to timely monitor as well as block IVs is still a challenging task. Whereas conventional fluorescence probes rely on a fluorimetric change upon recognizing IVs, here we developed simple "Supra-dots" that are formed through the aqueous supramolecular assembly between a blue-emitting polymer dot and red-emitting sialylglycan probes for the ratiometric detection of IVs. Tuning the Förster resonance energy transfer from polymer dots to glycan probes by selective sialylglycan-virus recognition enables the fluorescence ratiometric determination of IVs, whereas the presence of unselective, control viruses quenched the fluorescence of the Supra-dots. Meanwhile, we show that the Supra-dots can effectively inhibit the invasion of a human-infecting IV toward a human cell line, thereby making possible a unique bifunctional, supramolecular probe for influenza theranostics.