Biotechnology articles within Communications Materials

Featured

• Review Article
  11 April 2024 | Open Access

  Material and structural considerations for high-performance electrodes for wearable skin devices

  A key aspect of wearable devices used in personal health monitoring are the electrodes that make contact with the skin. This Review discusses how the materials and structure of electrodes used in these devices are vital to their performance, including how altering these factors might optimize their function.

  • Kyeonghee Lim
  • , Hunkyu Seo
  •  & Jang-Ung Park

• Article
  05 March 2024 | Open Access

  Durable plasma-mediated zwitterionic grafting on polymeric surfaces for implantable medical devices

  Poor material biocompatibility of implanted medical devices endangers patient safety and impairs device functionality. Here, durable zwitterion grafts attached onto polymeric surfaces via plasma functionalization lead to superhydrophilic materials for safer and more durable devices.

  • Matthew Crago
  • , Richard Tan
  •  & Sina Naficy

• Article
  04 November 2022 | Open Access

  Impact of physio-chemical spinning conditions on the mechanical properties of biomimetic spider silk fibers

  The mechanical properties of spider silk are known to be dependent on spinning conditions. Here, the tensile behavior of over 1000 biomimetic spider silk fibers spun under 92 different conditions are tested, resulting in a yield strength of more than 250 MPa.

  • Benjamin Schmuck
  • , Gabriele Greco
  •  & Anna Rising

• Article
  30 October 2022 | Open Access

  Extracellular matrix-inspired hydrogel of hyaluronan and gelatin crosslinked via a Link module with a transglutaminase reactive sequence

  Hydrogels are promising for tissue engineering, in particular for replacing the extracellular matrix. Here, an extracellular matrix inspired hydrogel is created from hyaluronan and gelatin, which cell culture and animal experiments shows to be biocompatible and biodegradable.

  • Masashi Okawa
  • , Aki Tanabe
  •  & Taichi Ito

• Article
  15 August 2022 | Open Access

  Enzymatic upgrading of nanochitin using an ancient lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase

  Enzymes are effective at chemically converting low-value biomass to technological materials. Here, an ancestral lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase enzyme is used to synthesize chitin nanocrystals, which are used as a matrix for cell growth and to create conducting graphene oxide bioinks.

  • Leire Barandiaran
  • , Borja Alonso-Lerma
  •  & Raul Perez-Jimenez

• Article
  15 August 2022 | Open Access

  Bioengineered textiles with peptide binders that capture SARS-CoV-2 viral particles

  Textiles that block the transmission of viral particles help to reduce virus spread. Here, peptides on the surface a bioengineered textile capture SARS-CoV-2 viral particles, reducing onward infection by 500-fold.

  • Laura Navone
  • , Kaylee Moffitt
  •  & Robert E. Speight

• Article
  26 April 2022 | Open Access

  In vivo engraftment into the cornea endothelium using extracellular matrix shrink-wrapped cells

  Tissue regeneration by injecting cells into the damaged area is a common clinical treatment, but is not always affective. Here, a shrink-wrap-like process is reported for corneal endothelial cells, allowing them to be engrafted into the corneal endothelium of a rabbit animal model.

  • Rachelle N. Palchesko
  • , Yiqin Du
  •  & Adam W. Feinberg

• Article
  14 February 2022 | Open Access

  Sensitizer-enhanced two-photon patterning of biomolecules in photoinstructive hydrogels

  Proteins can be patterned in photoresponsive hydrogels by the application of light. Here, a two-photon lithography-based approach allows for the 3D patterning of proteins with micrometer precision, demonstrated for a photoinstructive hydrogel and relevant to a range of proteins.

  • Heike Krüger
  • , Marvin Asido
  •  & Ralph Wieneke

• Article
  07 February 2022 | Open Access

  Programmable polymorphism of a virus-like particle

  Virus-like particles are promising for drug delivery systems and vaccine development, but controlling their size and morphology is challenging. Here, amino acid sequences are inserted into MS2 bacteriophage virus-like particles, with their size and shape being controlled by varying the insert used.

  • Artur P. Biela
  • , Antonina Naskalska
  •  & Jonathan G. Heddle

• Article
  27 January 2022 | Open Access

  Fast and real-time electrical transistor assay for quantifying SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

  The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of tests for assessing antibody titer, such as for determining vaccine efficacy. Here, a fast-operating organic electrochemical transistor is shown to assess the cytopathic effect caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus on Vero E6 cells in real-time.

  • Francesco Decataldo
  • , Laura Grumiro
  •  & Vittorio Sambri

• Article
  20 December 2021 | Open Access

  Creation of stable water-free antibody based protein liquids

  Antibodies are widely used in biotechnology and bioengineering, but are sensitive to their environment. Here, primary antibodies are converted into thermally-stable protein liquids, achieving >60% antigen binding after cyclic heating at 125 °C and remain active when incorporated into plastics.

  • Joseph M. Slocik
  • , Patrick B. Dennis
  •  & Rajesh R. Naik

• Article
  12 April 2021 | Open Access

  Tyrosine residues mediate supercontraction in biomimetic spider silk

  Exposing spider silk to wet conditions can cause supercontraction. Here, tyrosine amino acid residues within the amorphous regions are found to contribute to supercontraction, which can be controlled by protein engineering.

  • Gabriele Greco
  • , Tina Arndt
  •  & Anna Rising

• Article
  12 August 2020 | Open Access

  High performance crystalline nanocellulose using an ancestral endoglucanase

  Enzymes are effective at upgrading natural materials to high-performance biomaterials. Here, an ancestral endoglucanase is used to obtain highly crystalline cellulose nanocrystals, which can act as a matrix for cell growth and be combined with graphene for conducting inks.

  • Borja Alonso-Lerma
  • , Leire Barandiaran
  •  & Raul Perez-Jimenez