Volume 2 Issue 4, April 2024

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 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.

An article in Nature Communications reports the development of self-deliverable ribonucleoproteins for genome editing in the brain.

An article in Nature reports a leadless photoelectrochemical device that exploits a new type of diode junction to regulate heartbeats by light.

Bioplastics are yet to replace commodity plastics. In this Review, we address the barriers faced by bioplastics to obtaining standard labels and certificates and we propose pre-screening methods to optimize these processes. Challenges in production, consumption and disposal are also discussed.

Fibrotic disease can affect almost all organs, and only few therapies currently exist for the treatment of fibrosis. This Review discusses the contribution of mechanical forces to the onset and progression of fibrosis, highlighting distinct mechanotransduction mechanisms as well as engineered models and therapeutic approaches targeting mechanotransduction pathways for the investigation and treatment of fibrosis, respectively.

Microneedle technologies for drug delivery and biosensing have progressed through the integration of material sciences, nanotechnologies and electronic devices. This Review discusses the development and clinical translation of microneedle biomedical devices.

This Review focuses on several facets of synthetic peptide branched polymers including their synthesis, diversity, physicochemical properties and bacteria-killing mechanisms. The current challenges and future applications of synthetic peptide branched polymers in biomedical engineering are highlighted.