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Bacteria-based living drugs can treat a broad range of diseases. This Review discusses challenges to the clinical translation of engineered bacterial therapeutics and how advances in synthetic biology and nanomedicine can help overcome them.
Cellular agriculture can be applied for the production of milk bioactives for infant nutrition to bring infant formula functionality closer to human milk. This Review discusses cell-based biotechnology approaches, applying microbial-based (precision fermentation) or cell culture-based methods, to produce functional and complex milk bioactives.
Academic bullying, discrimination and harassment affect the health and careers of many academics. Voices calling on action against academic bullying are getting louder. Empowering individuals to speak up will further turn up the volume to finally reduce the gap between anti-bullying policy drafts and genuine actions.
The scientific narrative around food biotechnologies, such as genetically modified crops, is ineffective at predicting their role in the development and change of agricultural practices and food. Here, we suggest placing the scientific discussion of new food technologies in the context of the political and economic forces that shape agriculture.
Gene editing may shape the future of foods, providing a sustainable solution for obtaining food products of high yield and nutritional value. This Review discusses the capabilities and applications of CRISPR–Cas-based gene editing of food, highlighting the technologies for improving the nutritional value of crops and animal and probiotic food products, and summarizing regulatory policies worldwide.
Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics are particularly important in resource-limited settings. To ensure their sustainability, deployment and uptake by underserved communities, systemic, infrastructural, operational and logistical limitations need to be addressed.
The emerging field of genetically targeted chemical assembly (GTCA) uses cell-specific genetic information to instruct chemical synthesis in situ. This Perspective discusses recent progress in GTCA and outlines opportunities for expanding the GTCA toolbox and diversifying applications.
An article in Science reports a co-polymer with both semiconducting and adhesive properties, which can effectively stick an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT)-based sensor to living tissues.
Synthetic living materials are dynamic and responsive, actively interact with and integrate into biological systems, and predictably evolve. This Perspective discusses the engineering of synthetic living materials and their applications in cancer biology.
Advances in digitizing human tissue slides and progress in artificial intelligence have boosted progress in the field of computational pathology. This Review consolidates recent methodological advances and provides future perspectives as the field expands to take on a broader range of clinical and research tasks.
Flexible and stretchable materials and devices can be applied for the design of soft bioelectronics. This Review discusses soft electronic materials that can be engineered into implantable and wearable devices for the monitoring and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
An article in Nature Communications reports that substitution of animal-based food by plant-based alternatives greatly reduces agricultural input use, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
An article from Nature Biomedical Engineering reports the development of an infrared light-emitting cancer nanovaccine and two other nanoprobes for tracking the vaccine and the associated immune response.
To address inappropriate behaviour in the scientific community and nurture a culture of accountability, individuals must be empowered to speak up. Guidance on preventing and handling inappropriate behaviour at conferences, using case studies and checklists, to build a community that thrives on respect and inclusivity is presented.
Microneedles are an effective tool for the collection of interstitial fluid in a minimally invasive manner. Coupling microneedles with biosensors would allow for deep tissue sensing and fast continuous monitoring. This Review discusses the capabilities of microneedles for analyte sampling and further analysis, the development of microneedle-based biosensors for disease and drug monitoring, and the clinical translation potential.
An article in Science Robotics reports a soft robotic drug-delivery device that can sense and respond to the formation of scar tissue in real time to maintain its ability to deliver drugs long-term.
At the LV Prasad Eye Institute in India, we developed an ophthalmic electronic medical record and hospital management system, integrating clinical, surgical and operational functions in one platform to allow digital eye care services at the point of care.
Recreating human immune biology poses a grand challenge owing to its unique complexity and diversity. This Review discusses advances in bioengineering lymphoid and mucosal tissues, with an emphasis on their translational value.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s internal database of 510(k)-cleared medical devices was searched for additively manufactured devices cleared between 2010 and 2020. The information and analysis provided will assist the medical device community to further understand the application of additive manufacturing to regulated devices.
Bioengineers need to adopt holistic and human-centred design principles in the development of technologies intended for applications in low-resource settings, to overcome infrastructural limitations and ensure functionality in all environments.