Working mainly with synthetic biomaterials such as lipids and polymers, as well as functional derivatives that involve carbohydrates and other molecules, James Baker (left) and colleagues at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on the Unconventional Innovations Program, are creating devices that will engineer cells on a nanoscale. Polymers, for example, can make ‘smart delivery’ systems for drugs and genes. They target a malignant cell, release the drug or gene and report any effects.

The participation of people from liberal arts and sciences, chemistry, physics, engineering and toxicology is crucial, says Baker, who is head of allergy and immunology in the medical school as well as leading the university's centre for biologic nanotechnology .“All of us have come to this, if I can put it politely, ‘ad hoc’, training ourselves,” he says. “There is a lot of self-selection in this area because people who don't want to interact won't show up.” He explains that his team can define something experimentally and then say to the synthesis people: “We see this structure–function relationship, how can we magnify that?” The toxicologist might then say the compound has a bad history in vivo, vetoing that line of thinking. “It's remarkable how you can overcome problems or prevent yourselves from going down blind alleys, if you have everyone together.”

Baker and his colleagues would like to see a larger institute based on their current centre. “One of the really important things is that you get people who are cross-trained and understand the engineering side, the materials science side and the analytical side, as well as the biology and the toxicology,” he says.