Killing it softly – Can soft materials play a strategic role in the eradication of tuberculosis?

Intracellular organelles can be regarded as natural vesicles essential for the organization, isolation, protection, and recycling of macromolecules within cells. Similarly, lipid and polymer-based vesicles can offer compartmentalization through the physical confinement of (macro)molecules in nanoscale dimensions, a key architectural principle to achieve biomimicry and facilitate molecular transport in organelle-like compartments. In the last few decades, the therapeutic scope of soft materials has gained significant traction, particularly in the field of bacterial infections, ranging from the prevention of biofilm formation to the development of new targeted antimicrobial agents and vaccines. This review seeks to highlight and critically discuss the potential of biomimetic synthetic vesicles in the prevention and treatment of Tuberculosis, the deadliest human bacterial infection to date, providing an overview of the clinical progress achieved thus far.