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Efficient early pathogen detection, before symptom apparition, is crucial for optimizing disease management. In barley, the fungal pathogen Pyrenophora teres is the causative agent of net blotch disease, which exists in two forms: P. teres f. sp. teres ( Ptt ), causing net-form of net blotch (NTNB), and P. teres f. sp. maculata ( Ptm ), responsible for spot-form of net blotch (STNB). In this study, we developed primers and a TaqMan probe to detect both Ptt and Ptm . A comprehensive k-mer based analysis was performed across a collection of P. teres genomes to identify the conserved regions that had potential as universal genetic markers. These regions were then analyzed for their prevalence and copy number across diverse Moroccan P. teres strains, using both a k-mer analysis for sequence identification and a phylogenetic assessment to establish genetic relatedness. The designed primer-probe set was successfully validated through qPCR, and early disease detection, prior to symptom development, was achieved using ddPCR. The k-mer analysis performed across the available P. teres genomes suggests the potential for these sequences to serve as universal markers for P. teres , transcending environmental variations.

(1) Background: Nanomedicine has recently emerged as a promising field, particularly for cancer theranostics. In this context, nanoparticles designed for imaging and therapeutic applications are of interest. We, therefore, studied the encapsulation of upconverting nanoparticles in mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles. Indeed, mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles have been shown to be very efficient for drug delivery, and upconverting nanoparticles are interesting for near-infrared and X-ray computed tomography imaging, depending on the matrix used. (2) Methods: Two different upconverting-based nanoparticles were synthesized with Yb 3+ -Er 3+ as the upconverting system and NaYF 4 or BaLuF 5 as the matrix. The encapsulation of these nanoparticles was studied through the sol-gel procedure with bis(triethoxysilyl)ethylene and bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane in the presence of CTAB. (3) Results: with bis(triethoxysilyl)ethylene, BaLuF 5 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ , nanoparticles were not encapsulated, but anchored on the surface of the obtained mesoporous nanorods BaLuF 5 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ @Ethylene. With bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane, BaLuF 5 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ and NaYF 4 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ nanoparticles were encapsulated in the mesoporous cubic structure leading to BaLuF 5 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ @Ethane and NaYF 4 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ @Ethane, respectively. (4) Conclusions: upconversion nanoparticles were located on the surface of mesoporous nanorods obtained by hydrolysis polycondensation of bis(triethoxysilyl)ethylene, whereas encapsulation occurred with bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane. The later nanoparticles NaYF 4 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ @Ethane or BaLuF 5 : Yb 3+ -Er 3+ @Ethane were promising for applications with cancer cell imaging or X-ray-computed tomography respectively.

(1) Background: Nanomedicine has recently emerged as a new area of research, particularly to fight cancer. In this field, we were interested in the vectorization of pepstatin A, a peptide which does not cross cell membranes, but which is a potent inhibitor of cathepsin D, an aspartic protease particularly overexpressed in breast cancer. (2) Methods: We studied two kinds of nanoparticles. For pepstatin A delivery, mesoporous silica nanoparticles with large pores (LPMSNs) and hollow organosilica nanoparticles (HOSNPs) obtained through the sol⁻gel procedure were used. The nanoparticles were loaded with pepstatin A, and then the nanoparticles were incubated with cancer cells. (3) Results: LPMSNs were monodisperse with 100 nm diameter. HOSNPs were more polydisperse with diameters below 100 nm. Good loading capacities were obtained for both types of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were endocytosed in cancer cells, and HOSNPs led to the best results for cancer cell killing. (4) Conclusions: Mesoporous silica-based nanoparticles with large pores or cavities are promising for nanomedicine applications with peptides., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.