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Tissues of the central nervous system (CNS) can be functionally modelled using cell biology-based and engineering-based strategies to allow the study of CNS mechanisms, function and pathology in vitro. This Review discusses the design of bioengineered CNS models, highlighting how customizable tissues can enable a mechanistic deconvolution of complex CNS functions.
Micro- and nanorobots hold great promise for next-generation water-remediation applications. This Review discusses the development of intelligent micro- and nanoscale systems for the removal and degradation of water contaminants and the challenges toward their practical application.
Fluorescence imaging-guided surgery enables tumour resection with high precision, while preventing injury of healthy tissues. This Review discusses the clinical application and preclinical development of intraoperative fluorescence imaging probes and imaging equipment, including artificial intelligence algorithms.
Oral drug delivery is a commonly used strategy to deliver therapeutics. However, the harsh environment in the digestive tract prevents the oral administration of many drugs and can negatively affect drug efficacy. This Review discusses how biological materials and living microorganisms can be designed into bioinspired oral delivery devices that can overcome many of the challenges associated with oral delivery.
Photothermal modulation is a non-genetic approach for remote neural modulation with high spatiotemporal resolution and specificity. This Review summarizes the fundamental material properties and experimental conditions necessary for efficient nanomaterial-assisted photothermal excitation, inhibition and regulation of cellular signalling pathways.
This Review discusses biomaterials that promote therapeutic targeting of immune cells by modulating the dosage, timing and location of stimulation, thereby improving the safety and efficacy of vaccines and immunotherapies.
Chiral inorganic nanomaterials can induce specific physical, chemical and biological phenomena. This Review discusses how chiral biomolecules and polarized light allow nanoscale chirality control in inorganic nanomaterials, which can be applied in optical devices, sensing, catalysis and biomedicine.
Three-dimensional nanotopography plays a key role in the interaction of nanoscale drug delivery systems and biological components. This Review discusses bioinspired nanotopographies that can improve muco-adhesion and cyto-adhesion, drug uptake and trafficking, barrier remodelling, cellular modulation and antimicrobial activities of various drug delivery platforms.
The tumour microenvironment of solid tumours can prevent immune cell infiltration and negatively affect the efficacy of immunotherapies. This Review discusses the design of biomaterials-based tools that can modulate the physicochemical features of the tumour microenvironment to assist immunotherapies.
Bioengineering has the power to improve health globally by engineering diagnostic, treatment and disease monitoring platforms that function in diverse settings, including resource-constrained contexts. In this Viewpoint, the authors highlight the pressing challenges that need to be addressed to make the field more equitable and to enable bioengineered solutions that can be implemented anywhere, anytime and by anyone.
Synthetic morphogenesis is limited by knowledge gaps about the competencies of cells and cell groups. This Review discusses a synthetic bioengineering framework based on empirically determined properties of cells, including goal-seeking and agential behaviours, which will allow the creation of complex devices that cannot be built using bottom-up approaches.
The feasibility of large-scale testing with lateral flow tests has been demonstrated in the COVID-19 pandemic. This Review examines lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to inform the design and bioengineering of next-generation lateral flow tests to strengthen future diagnostic resilience.
Luminescence imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) region enables non-radiative, fast-feedback, low-cost and high-contrast in vivo imaging of biological tissues. This Review discusses engineering challenges that need to be addressed to enable clinical translation of NIR luminescence imaging.
Adult stem cell-derived organoids closely resemble their tissue of origin. This Review discusses recent developments in CRISPR-mediated genome engineering and its application using adult-stem-cell-derived organoids in the construction of isogenic disease models and for clinical gene repair.
