News & Views in 2018

A scalable and fast method for profiling single-molecule protein–protein interactions predicts the sensitivity of cells to inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor, which is typically overexpressed in cancer.

A stiffness-sensing piezoelectric microsystem that can be mounted onto conventional biopsy needles distinguishes abnormal tissue from healthy tissue.

Smoking status, blood pressure, age and other cardiovascular risk factors can be predicted from retinal images by using deep learning.

T cells can be efficiently and controllably expanded for adoptive cell therapy in a culture system consisting of lipid bilayers bearing membrane-bound cues for the stimulation of T-cell receptors and of supporting silica microrods that release a T-cell proliferation factor.

A microfluidic device powers DNA-methylome sequencing of CpG islands and promoter regions, with minimal sample loss.

Substituting growth factors with small molecules in the culture medium for the expansion of human pluripotent stem cells reduces costs and lot-to-lot variability.

Synthetic mammalian cells engineered to synthesize a painkiller in response to volatile spearmint reduce chronic pain in mice and do not seem to elicit adverse effects.

Nanoparticles carrying an antibiotic and bearing a peptide that targets the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus effectively suppress staphylococcal infections in mice.

Single-cell traction-force measurements performed on fluorescently labelled elastomeric surfaces can probe the physiological and pathological behaviour of thousands of cells in a single experiment.

The combination of ultrafast ultrasound and positron emission tomography–computed tomography enables the simultaneous 3D imaging of anatomy and metabolism at high resolution.

Occluders for the left atrial appendage that are patient-specific, thus ensuring better fitting and potentially less complications, can be made by 3D-printing inflatable polymer devices on the basis of data derived from computed tomography scans.

Grafting platelet-derived nanovesicles onto the surface of cardiosphere-derived cardiac stem cells enables the cells to better engraft in infarcted tissue following systemic injection in rats and pigs.

Commensal microbes engineered to convert natural compounds found in cruciferous vegetables into molecules with anticancer properties prevent carcinogenesis and cause the regression of colorectal cancer in mice fed with a vegetable diet.