Biomaterials articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The dandelion pappus opens and closes reversibly to tune seed dispersal according to environmental moisture levels. Here the authors combined experiments with a computational model to show that pappus closure is coordinated by radially-patterned tissue swelling at the base of floral organs.

    • Madeleine Seale
    • , Annamaria Kiss
    •  & Naomi Nakayama

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Limited stem cells and mismatched interface fusion have plagued biomaterial-mediated cranial reconstruction. Here, the authors engineer an instantly fixable and self-adaptive scaffold to promote calcium chelation and interface integration, regulate macrophage M2 polarization, and recruit endogenous stem cells.

    • Gonggong Lu
    • , Yang Xu
    •  & Xingdong Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemodynamic therapy relies on Fenton or Fenton-like reactions to produce hydroxyl radical in the tumor region. Here the authors design a two-dimensional interplanar heterojunction with in situ hydroxyl radical generation under ultrasound irradiation, showing anti-cancer activity in preclinical models.

    • Yong Kang
    • , Zhuo Mao
    •  & Xiaoyuan Ji

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How mechanical forces drive fluid transport in the kidney remains unclear. Here, the authors use a microfluidic platform to show that kidney epithelial cells generate hydraulic pressure gradients across the epithelium, and that the fluid flux is from apical to basal for normal cells, and inverted in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease cells.

    • Mohammad Ikbal Choudhury
    • , Yizeng Li
    •  & Sean X. Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoelectrodes for measuring intracellular action potentials suffer from issues with success rate, signal strength and fabrication. Here, the authors report on a scalable technique which creates robust nanocrown electrodes with high success rates by electroporation and demonstrate the advance towards preclinical drug evaluation.

    • Zeinab Jahed
    • , Yang Yang
    •  & Bianxiao Cui

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Type I photodynamic therapy (PDT) sensitizers show good hypoxia tolerance but only few strategies are available for the design of purely organic Type I photosensitizers (PS). Here, the authors use biotinylation as design strategy to obtain PS-Biotin sensitizers with high efficiency for the generation of superoxide anion radicals and singlet oxygen.

    • Jing An
    • , Shanliang Tang
    •  & Wen-Heng Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Delivering the correct concentration of drugs to the correct location is a challenge in cancer therapy. Here, the authors generate a drug loaded nanoparticle that enlarges following contact with the internal tumour cell environment, resulting in the retention of the nanoparticle and loaded drugs in cancer cells.

    • Ziyang Cao
    • , Dongdong Li
    •  & Xianzhu Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The toxicity of heavy metals for MRI contrast agents is an issue. Here, the authors report on the development of conjugated polymers nanoparticles based on paramagnetic polypyrrole to generate T2 MRI contrast effects by changing the interactions between polarons and water protons.

    • Qinrui Lin
    • , Yuhong Yang
    •  & Zhengzhong Shao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Realizing robust underwater adhesion is challenging because a hydration layer impedes the interaction between substrates and adhesives. Here, the authors report a class of ultrastrong underwater adhesives with molecular non-canonical phenolic groups in a polymer to realize strong adhesion on various substrates.

    • Bohan Cheng
    • , Jinhong Yu
    •  & Hirotaka Ejima

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Increased density of tumor associated macrophages has been correlated with tumor recurrence following surgery. Here the authors design an alginate-based hydrogel encapsulating anti-PD-1-conjugated platelets and nanoparticles loaded with the macrophage-depleting CSF-1R inhibitor pexidartinib, showing inhibition of post-surgery tumor recurrence in preclinical models.

    • Zhaoting Li
    • , Yingyue Ding
    •  & Quanyin Hu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Materials for the selective transport of K+ have application in a variety of fields including water desalination and separation processes. Here the authors report charged porous subnanometer cages that are inspired in biological KcsA channels; high K+ transport rates and high K+/Li+ and K+/Na+ selectivity ratios are obtained, showing great potential in advanced sieving processes and efficient water treatments.

    • Weiwen Xin
    • , Jingru Fu
    •  & Liping Wen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Phosphate involvement in calcium carbonate biominerals raises questions on biomineralisation pathways. Here, the authors explore the presence of phosphate in the growing shell of the European abalone and suggest a shared mixed mineral ancestral precursor with final crystal phase being selected by mineral-associated proteins.

    • Widad Ajili
    • , Camila B. Tovani
    •  & Nadine Nassif

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Activated hepatic stellate cells contribute towards the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, and overexpress fibroblast activation protein. Here the authors report a targeted peptide-delivery system in which fibroblast activation protein liberates the antifibrotic peptide melittin, and demonstrate the approach attenuates fibrosis in mouse models of liver fibrosis.

    • Jaiwoo Lee
    • , Junho Byun
    •  & Yu-Kyoung Oh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Patient-derived tumour organoids are important preclinical models but suffer from variability from the use of basement-membrane extract and cell contamination. Here, the authors report on the development of mimetic nanofibrilar hydrogel which supports tumour organoid growth with reduced batch variability and cell contamination.

    • Elisabeth Prince
    • , Jennifer Cruickshank
    •  & Eugenia Kumacheva

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nitric oxide exerts a multitude of physiological functions and has also been exploited for anticancer therapies. Here the authors report the design of a micelle-releasing thermosensitive hydrogel system for the concomitant locoregional and lymphatic delivery of a nitric oxide donor and an anti-CTLA4 antibody, showing anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical cancer models.

    • Jihoon Kim
    • , David M. Francis
    •  & Susan N. Thomas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Protecting the whole small intestine from radiation-induced intestinal injury during the radiotherapy of abdominal or pelvic solid tumors remains an unmet clinical need. Here the authors use a natural microalga to readily construct an oral delivery system to achieve effective radioprotection for the small intestine.

    • Dongxiao Zhang
    • , Danni Zhong
    •  & Min Zhou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, Brillouin optical microscopy noninvasively visualizes microscale anisotropy of the porcine cornea owing to its lamellar fiber structure and quantifies the longitudinal moduli of the bulk tissue. Anisotropy is also detected in angle-resolved measurement of the human cornea in vivo.

    • Amira M. Eltony
    • , Peng Shao
    •  & Seok-Hyun Yun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite the widespread use of hydrogels, methods offering improved control over gelation mechanisms and patterning are still sought for. Here, the authors explore potentiostatic control in electrochemical-chemical-chemical reactions on chitosan, alginate and alginate/PEDOT composite systems which allows selection of covalent and ionic gelation mechanisms as well as the growth rate of the hydrogel.

    • Aruã Clayton Da Silva
    • , Junzhi Wang
    •  & Ivan Rusev Minev

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nature-inspired design motifs have contributed to the development of advanced materials. Here the authors present a segmental design motif to realize a compression-resisting lightweight mechanical metamaterial with a progressive failure behavior and rotational degree of freedom.

    • Wei Wang
    • , Shu Jian Chen
    •  & Kwesi Sagoe-Crentsil

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In this manuscript, an electric-field-assisted self-assembly technique that can allow controllable and scalable fabrication of 3-dimensional block copolymer (BCP)-based artificial cell membranes (3DBCPMs) immobilized on predefined locations is presented.

    Topographically and chemically structured microwell array templates facilitate uniform patterning of BCPs and serve as reactors for the effective growth of 3DBCPMs, which diverse shapes, sizes and stability can be tuned by modulating the BCP concentration and the amplitude/frequency of the electric field.

    The potential of 3DBCPMs for a variety of biological applications is highlighted by performance of in vitro protein-membrane assays and mimicking of human intestinal organs.

    • Dong-Hyun Kang
    • , Won Bae Han
    •  & Tae Song Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    High drug loading improves therapeutic efficacy and reduces side effects in drug delivery. Here, the authors use controlled diffusion of solvents to precipitate drug nanoparticles in polymer particles while the polymer is solidifying and demonstrate the particles for drug delivery in a spinal cord injury model.

    • Wei Li
    • , Jian Chen
    •  & Dongfei Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    E-skins currently suffer from issues to do with the predominantly non-biological materials they are made from. Here, the authors report on a gluten network which is cross-linked with EGaIn liquid metal to make a self-healing, biocompatible, biodegradable, stretchable and conductive material which is demonstrated as a movement strain sensor.

    • Bin Chen
    • , Yudong Cao
    •  & Mingxin Ye

  • Article
    | Open Access

    G-wire structures have potential applications in bio-nanotechnology, however, this is limited by a lack of understanding about the assembly process and structures formed. Here, the authors use nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamic simulations to understand the guiding principles of G-wire assembly.

    • Daša Pavc
    • , Nerea Sebastian
    •  & Primož Šket

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Simple methods for attaching polynucleotides to gold nanoparticles are of interest for simplifying conjugation in a range of applications. Here, the authors report a microwave heating-based method for the fast, one-step attachment of a range of thiolated or non-thiolated DNA and RNA to gold nanoparticles.

    • Mengqi Huang
    • , Erhu Xiong
    •  & Xiaoming Zhou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biomolecule-metal-organic-frameworks allow for the creation of hybrid materials with desired biological and chemical function. Here, the authors refine the structure-function relationship by identifying the atomic-layer structure of the hybrids and show differences in structure upon different crystallisation pathways.

    • Linjing Tong
    • , Siming Huang
    •  & Gangfeng Ouyang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Staufer et al. provide a protocol for preparation of synthetic minimal virions (MiniV) of SARS-CoV-2, mimicking viral structure and allowing for precise investigation of receptor binding mechanism. They find that the highly conserved free fatty acid binding pocket (FABP) can function as an allosteric regulator, enabling adaptation of immunogenicity via binding of proinflammatory free fatty acids and mediating the spike open to-closed equilibrium.

    • Oskar Staufer
    • , Kapil Gupta
    •  & Joachim P. Spatz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacterial hairs called pili become highly-conductive electric wires upon addition of both natural and synthetic amino acids conjugated with gold nanoparticles. Here the authors use computationally-guided ordering further increasing their conductivity, thus yielding genetically-programmable materials.

    • Daniel Mark Shapiro
    • , Gunasheil Mandava
    •  & Farren J. Isaacs

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Permselectivity of cellular membranes is crucial to normal cellular function but this has been hard to replicate in artificial cells. Here, the authors use pH-responsive polymersomes containing Schiff base moieties which can be used to control mesh size allowing for selective permeability control creating responsive systems.

    • Guhuan Liu
    • , Jiajia Tan
    •  & Shiyong Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cotton gauze is widely used as haemostatic material for bleeding control, but its high blood absorption capacity can to cause extra blood loss. Here, the authors develop a cotton gauze whose surface is modified with a catechol compound featuring a flexible long hydrophobic alkyl chain which demonstrates excellent haemostatic performance.

    • Huaying He
    • , Weikang Zhou
    •  & Haiqing Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The properties of mesoporous nanomaterials have been exploited for several applications, including drug delivery and NIR-II photoacoustic imaging. Here, the authors design monodispersed semimetallic mesoporous antimony nanospheres with photothermal conversion efficiency in the second near-infrared range and drug loading capacity, showing their potential for cancer photothermal/chemo therapy.

    • Yu Chen
    • , Zhongzheng Yu
    •  & Junle Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    An increasing prevalence of Gram-negative bacteria increases the interest in nanotherapies to treat antibiotic resistance. Here, the authors examine the antimicrobial activity of polymyxin-loaded cubosomes and explore a polytherapy treatment of pathogens with cubosomes in combination with polymyxin.

    • Xiangfeng Lai
    • , Mei-Ling Han
    •  & Hsin-Hui Shen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Immune response and new tissue formation are important aspects of tissue repair but often only one aspect is considered in biomedical interventions. Here, the authors report on the use of a mussel-like surface coating to immobilize immune modulating metal ions and growth factors and demonstrated improved in vivo outcomes.

    • Tao Wang
    • , Jiaxiang Bai
    •  & Lianfu Deng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Components of the yeast cell wall, including but not limited to β-glucan, have been reported to act as danger signals and promote immune responses. Here the authors report the design and anti-tumor immune responses elicited by yeast cell wall-based nanoparticles in preclinical cancer models.

    • Jialu Xu
    • , Qingle Ma
    •  & Chao Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Engineering shape memory and morphing materials achieved considerable progress in polymer-based systems, but protein-based shape memory and morphing materials remain less investigated. Here, the authors report the engineering of protein-based shape memory and morphing hydrogels using protein folding-unfolding as a general mechanism to trigger shape morphing in protein-bilayer structures.

    • Qingyuan Bian
    • , Linglan Fu
    •  & Hongbin Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developing single atom systems with improved catalytic potential for bio-application has major therapeutic potential. Here, the authors report on the development of a metal single-atom on a carbon dot support confined within mesoporous silica for the development of therapeutic agents.

    • Limei Qin
    • , Jie Gan
    •  & Jianlin Shi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    3D brain organoids have been used to investigate human brain development and pathology. Here the authors establish human ventral midbrain organoids coupled with single cell sequencing to study developing and mature dopamine neurons and use silk scaffolding to generate bioengineered brain organoids

    • Alessandro Fiorenzano
    • , Edoardo Sozzi
    •  & Malin Parmar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The amphiphilic low-molecular-weight protein hydrophobin (HFBI) can self-assemble into a crystalline monolayer film. Here, the authors present a cryo-EM support film using such 2D crystals of hydrophobin HFBI and show that it protects specimen from the air-water interface and can help to overcome the preferred orientation problem of particles in cryo-EM.

    • Hongcheng Fan
    • , Bo Wang
    •  & Fei Sun

  • Comment
    | Open Access

    RNA therapeutics have benefited significantly from decades of research on lipid nanoparticles, specifically its key component—the ionizable lipid. This comment discusses the major ionizable lipid types, and provides perspectives for future development.

    • Xuexiang Han
    • , Hanwen Zhang
    •  & Michael J. Mitchell

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