Comment

The clinical translation of therapeutics on the basis of human gut microorganisms is hampered by our limited knowledge of how microbes survive and adapt to fluctuating conditions in the gut. The systematic exploration of gut microbiome survival strategies and trade-offs will thus enable the design of more efficient microbiome-based interventions.

What does global health equity mean? In bioengineering, ‘equity’ is often interpreted as global ‘access’ to technologies, thereby neglecting wider structural inequalities. Here we suggest that concepts of equity need to be expanded to incorporate principles of equitable representation and recognition within the innovation ecosystem.

Micro- and nanorobots present a promising approach for navigating within the body and eliminating biofilm infections. Their motion can be remotely controlled by external fields and tracked by clinical imaging. They can mechanically disrupt the biofilm matrix and kill the dormant bacterial cells synergistically, thereby improving the effectiveness of biofilm eradication.

The cryopreservation of biological samples is hindered by ice formation and the need to maintain samples under cryogenic conditions during storage and transportation. Silicification offers a simple method for preserving life within refractory, amorphous silicon dioxide, which is analogous to vitreous ice but does not melt and thereby avoids cold-chain issues.

Harnessing the potential of microbiota analysis creates new opportunities in diagnosing diseases, improving treatment efficacy, reducing treatment complications and preventing disease recurrence. However, microbiota analysis has not yet been integrated into clinical management workflows. Here, we discuss crucial characteristics of microbiota analysis systems for clinical translation.

Open-source design of medical devices, following the concept of frugal engineering, provides unrestricted descriptions of technical details, allowing the low-cost and local fabrication of devices to reduce global inequities in healthcare.

The current drug development pipeline is time-consuming, costly and inefficient. To better model interactions between pharmaceuticals and human physiology and, thus, increase the likelihood of drug success in clinical trials, the effect of pharmacokinetic drug profiles on cellular behaviour should be tested early in drug development.

Antimicrobial peptides have the potential to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance; however, their clinical translation remains challenging. Here, we discuss molecular farming as a sustainable approach to antimicrobial peptide production, outlining different platforms to produce antimicrobial peptides using plants and viral vectors.

In addition to systemic inequity, the lack of adequate parental leave conditions at many US institutions can negatively affect career trajectories for women in STEM. Support structures are needed at the institutional, departmental and funding agency level to promote the success of pregnant women and parents with childcare responsibilities in academia.

Social connections are an important means for people to cope with adversity and illness. Thus, technologies, such as social network analysis, that can leverage close, face-to-face social networks could help optimize healthcare interventions and reduce healthcare-related costs, particularly in low-resource settings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The potential of tissue engineering to deliver clinical advances hinges on a connected ecosystem that includes academics, funding agencies, entrepreneurs, investors, the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory bodies. Open dialog on goals and risks across these stakeholders is key to implementing bioengineered tissue models in drug development and tissue therapies.

Radiotheranostics combines disease-specific molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy. We present new and promising targets, tracers and isotopes for radiotheranostics and outline the road to clinical translation of the ¹⁷⁷Lu–LNC1004 radiopharmaceutical, which has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a phase I clinical trial.

The UNANO consortium consists of laboratories from eight European research universities that explore biomolecules as building blocks for the assembly of nanostructures and nanomachines. UNANO aims at uniting bionanotechnology researchers across Europe and transcending disciplinary boundaries to synergize research impact and explore applications of bionanotechnology.

Healthcare hackathons can bring patient-users, problem-solvers and external stakeholders together to formulate individual patient-user problems and find innovative solutions. Lessons can be learned from open innovation research to organize hackathons that ultimately lead to the design of new patient-specific products.

Stem cell therapies are being explored for the treatment of various diseases, and stem cell-derived exosomes may provide similar clinical benefits without the biosafety concerns. However, large-scale manufacturing and analysis of the complex cargos of exosomes will need to be addressed to enable their clinical translation.

Adoptive immunotherapy, particularly chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, has had considerable success in treating haematological malignancies. However, the variability, time commitment and cost of engineering cells limit their application. Human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells could provide an off-the-shelf, cheaper and scalable solution.