Next‐generation Theranostics: Functionalized Nanomaterials Enable Efficient Diagnosis and Therapy of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a large burden on public health worldwide. As a result, there is an urgent demand for developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the control and prevention of TB. In this study, an efficient liquid biopsy strategy for TB diagnosis and a novel TB granuloma imaging‐guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) strategy for TB treatment are constructed based on functionalized nanomaterials. New biomarkers of leukocyte transcriptional signatures for TB are screened, and the seven best‐performing genes are selected for construction of a combined diagnosis strategy. This work produces a new liquid biopsy strategy for TB based on a nanodiagnostic platform. Furthermore, functionalized nanomaterials encapsulating aggregation‐induced emission fluorophores and upconversion nanoparticles are creatively developed to specifically target and image the lesions of tuberculous granulomas in vivo. The visual information could guide subsequent PDT with efficient antimicrobial activity. Hence, functionalized nanomaterials have the potential to be the next generation of theranostics and show outstanding performance that allows them to serve as a novel paradigm for the diagnosis and therapy of TB.