Biomaterials articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The dense stroma of desmoplastic tumor limits nanotherapeutic penetration and hampers the antitumor immune response. Here the authors use tin monosulfide nanoparticles as nano-sonosensitizers to overcome the stromal barrier in triple negative breast cancer and improve the efficacy of sonodynamic therapy and boost antitumor immunity.

    • Yongjiang Li
    • , Wei Chen
    •  & Wei Tao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite delivering gene-specific silencing, the use of deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) for cancer therapy is limited by toxicity due to off-target effects. Here, the authors develop a multi-component DNAzyme, targeting both miRNA21 and HSP70, to induce tumour-specific sensitisation to photothermal therapy in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

    • Jiaqi Yan
    • , Xiaodong Ma
    •  & Hongbo Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The near-infrared-II (NIR-II) window has shown great promise for in vivo imaging and therapy. Here, the authors integrate a homopolymer and thermo-sensitive nitric oxide prodrug into nanoparticles for long-wavelength NIR-II photoacoustic imaging and synergistic treatment in preclinical thrombosis models.

    • Jianwen Song
    • , Xiaoying Kang
    •  & Ji Qi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hollow inorganic spheres (HISs) hold potential in various technological areas including biocatalysis and biomedicine, but the harsh synthetic conditions have precluded the use of HISs in biological fields. Here, the authors report a biocompatible strategy for synthesizing metal hydroxide HISs that can function as tandem-biocatalytic reactors.

    • Sang Yeong Han
    • , Nayoung Kim
    •  & Insung S. Choi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Psoriasis is a common inflammatory disease, and the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in skin lesions plays a critical role in the progress of psoriasis. Here, the authors report the use of multienzyme-inspired biomimetic iron single-atom catalysts (FeN4O2-SACs) with broad-spectrum ROS-scavenging capability for psoriasis treatment and relapse prevention via related gene restoration.

    • Xiangyu Lu
    • , Le Kuai
    •  & Jianlin Shi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rational design has endowed self-assembling peptides with structural similarities to natural materials, but recreating the dynamic functional properties inherent to natural systems remains challenging. Here the authors report the discovery of a short peptide based on the tryptophan zipper motif, that shows multiscale hierarchical ordering into hydrogels that display emergent dynamic properties.

    • Ashley K. Nguyen
    • , Thomas G. Molley
    •  & Kristopher A. Kilian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endo-lysosomal escape is a highly inefficient process. Here the authors present a lipid-based nanoscale molecular machine that achieves efficient cytosolic transport of biologics by destabilizing endo-lysosomal compartments through nanomechanical action upon light irradiation.

    • Yu Zhao
    • , Zhongfeng Ye
    •  & Qiaobing Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of liposome-based drug delivery systems has been hindered by the systemic toxicity and limited duration of effect due to insufficient drug loading and leakage of payload. Here the authors address these issues by designing aromatized liposomes that feature increased drug loading and slowed release compared to conventional liposomes.

    • Yang Li
    • , Tianjiao Ji
    •  & Daniel S. Kohane

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Architected materials can have enhanced properties compared to bulk but are difficult to design. Here the authors propose a machine-learning-based pipeline to design architected materials with predetermined elastic modulus and enhanced yield strength and test it in additive manufacturing.

    • Bo Peng
    • , Ye Wei
    •  & Peng Wen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developing piezoelectric biocrystals that are stretchable while maintaining structure and stable piezoelectricity is challenging. Here, Li et al. report an amino acid-based piezoelectric biocrystal with omnidirectional stretchability enabled by a truss-like network, for wearable and implantable devices.

    • Jun Li
    • , Corey Carlos
    •  & Xudong Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Weak adhesion is a common hindrance to efficient utilization of pesticides in agricultural applications. Here, authors demonstrate leaf-adhesive tebuconazole nanopesticides which can be water-dispersed via flash nanoprecipitation using temperature-responsive copolymers PDMAEMA-b-PCL as the carrier.

    • Jie Tang
    • , Xiaojing Tong
    •  & Yisheng Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The use of biomaterial scaffolds-based cartilage grafts could potentially innovate the Osteoarthritis (OA) treatment, but has been limited by toxicity concerns and invasive surgical procedures. Here, the authors report an injectable and biodegradable piezoelectric hydrogel with ultrasound activation to offer a minimally invasive approach for OA treatment.

    • Tra Vinikoor
    • , Godwin K. Dzidotor
    •  & Thanh D. Nguyen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Flexible electronic hydrogels that allow conformal tissue integration, online precision diagnosis, and simultaneous tissue regeneration are desired for advancing the treatment of myocardial infarction. Here, the authors report a chronological adhesive hydrogel patch integrating diagnostic and therapeutic functions through mechanophysiological monitoring and electrocoupling therapy.

    • Chaojie Yu
    • , Mingyue Shi
    •  & Junjie Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Brain injuries can result in significant damage to the cerebral cortex, and restoring the cellular architecture of the tissue remains challenging. Here, the authors use a droplet printing technique to fabricate a simplified human cerebral cortical column and demonstrate its functionality and potential for future personalized therapy approaches.

    • Yongcheng Jin
    • , Ellina Mikhailova
    •  & Hagan Bayley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ferumoxytol (Fer) is an FDA-approved iron oxide formulation that disrupts caries-causing biofilms with high specificity but cannot interfere with enamel acid demineralization. Here, Fer is combined with stannous fluoride (SnF2), resulting in enhanced stability of SnF2 and inhibition of both biofilm accumulation and enamel damage more effectively than either alone.

    • Yue Huang
    • , Yuan Liu
    •  & Hyun Koo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The neurotoxicity of organophosphate compounds damages nerve system by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression, but it is difficult to overcome the deactivation of AChE. Here, the authors report the design of Lewis acid sites in metal-organic frameworks as AChE mimics for effective neuroprotection.

    • Weiqing Xu
    • , Xiaoli Cai
    •  & Chengzhou Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Skin scarring devoid of dermal appendages has unfavorable effects on aesthetic and physiological functions. Here, the authors present a treatment based on extracellular matrix scaffolds and perform multimodal analysis to highlight the role of Tregs recruited by the biomaterial in mitigating tissue fibrous by suppressing excessive inflammation.

    • Yang Yang
    • , Chenyu Chu
    •  & Yili Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Phototherapy of deep tumors suffers from many obstacles, such as limited near-infrared tissue penetration depth and low accumulation efficiency within the target sites. Here, the authors report stimuli sensitive tumor-targeted photodynamic nanoparticles with persistent luminescence for the treatment of deep tumors.

    • Sarun Juengpanich
    • , Shijie Li
    •  & Mingyu Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Embolization is one of the most promising strategies for clinical disease treatments, however, the existing embolic materials normally have poor embolization effectiveness. Here, the authors report Janus particle-engineered structural lipiodol droplets by programming the self-assembly of Janus particles at the lipiodol-water interface to achieve highly efficient renal embolization.

    • Sijian Tao
    • , Bingquan Lin
    •  & Jun-Bing Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fibrous networks constructed from high aspect ratio protein building blocks are ubiquitous in nature, but the functional advantage of such building blocks over globular proteins is not understood. Here, using shear rheology and small-angle neutron scattering, the authors characterise the mechanical and structural properties of photochemically crosslinked protein L and fibrin networks and show that aspect ratio is a crucial property that defines network architecture and mechanics.

    • Matt D. G. Hughes
    • , Sophie Cussons
    •  & Lorna Dougan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While glycolysis inhibition impairs cancer cell tumourigenic capacities, it also affects immune cells anti-tumour activity. Here, the authors show that rescuing glycolytic inhibition of dendritic cells improves the efficacy of combining immunotherapy with glycolysis inhibition.

    • Sahil Inamdar
    • , Abhirami P. Suresh
    •  & Abhinav P. Acharya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pyroptosis and ferroptosis are typically induced by metal species or chemotherapeutic drugs, and able to boost a robust antitumor immunity, however their therapeutic uses have been hindered by the risks arising from metal species or chemotherapeutic drugs. Here the authors report a pyroptosis and ferroptosis dual-inducer based on non-metallic AIEgen-based covalent organic frameworks.

    • Liang Zhang
    • , An Song
    •  & Zhi-Jun Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Manipulating the internal interactions within biological fibers to tune macroscopic properties is important but challenging, and can limit applications. Here, the authors report the use of dynamic imine chemistry for engineering molecular interactions and forming strong and tough protein fibers.

    • Jing Sun
    • , Haonan He
    •  & Kai Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Highly localized mechanical forces that shape in vivo tissue development remain challenging to recapitulate in vitro. Here the authors use magnetically actuated nanoparticles to generate spatially defined forces within organoids, which guide the spatial organization of tissue patterning and growth.

    • Abdel Rahman Abdel Fattah
    • , Niko Kolaitis
    •  & Adrian Ranga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Photodegradable gels are useful for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, but typically respond to UV light. Here, the authors report a family of 3 photolabile linkers that cleave rapidly and with unique tricolor wavelength-selectivity to visible light.

    • Teresa L. Rapp
    •  & Cole A. DeForest

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Underwater adhesive proteins greatly inspired the development of underwater glue but except for specific proteins it is believed that abundant common proteins cannot be converted into underwater glue. Here, the authors demonstrate, using bovine serum albumin as model protein, that unfolded common proteins exhibit high affinity to surfaces and strong internal cohesion via amyloid-like aggregation in water.

    • Yongchun Liu
    • , Ke Li
    •  & Peng Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The exogenous excitation requirement and electron-hole pair recombination are the key factors limiting the application of catalytic therapies. Here, the authors address these limitations by designing a tumor microenvironment-specific self-triggered thermoelectric nanoheterojunction with a self-built-in electric field that facilitates charge separation for cancer treatment.

    • Xue Yuan
    • , Yong Kang
    •  & Dong Ming

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Traditional optical tweezers require high laser powers risking photothermal damage of the trapped objects. Here, the authors present hypothermal opto-thermophoretic tweezers (HOTTs), which use environmental cooling to simultaneously enhance thermophoretic trapping force at low laser powers and suppress the thermal damage to trapped objects.

    • Pavana Siddhartha Kollipara
    • , Xiuying Li
    •  & Yuebing Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is imperative but challenging to develop nanomaterials that can combat drug-resistant bacteria and biofilm related infections in diverse antibacterial scenarios. Here, the authors report Janus nanoparticles integrating biocompatible dextran and photothermal nanoparticles for biofilm-targeted antibacterial therapy to achieve effective and versatile elimination of drug-resistant biofilms.

    • Zhiwen Liu
    • , Kangli Guo
    •  & Fu-Jian Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrospray deposition is a promising technique for depositing functional coatings at the micro-/nano-scale. Here, the authors establish the necessary conditions for high efficiency electrospray deposition of small targets, establishing promise as an alternative to other conformal coating methods.

    • Sarah H. Park
    • , Lin Lei
    •  & Jonathan P. Singer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have shown potential for treating malignant tumors, however, limited tumor penetration of nanosystems remains a hurdle for effective tumor therapy. Here, the authors report a biomimetic bubble nanomachine with tumor-cell-membrane-derived nanovesicle secretion triggered by near-infrared laser irradiation for enhanced tumor penetration.

    • Junbin Gao
    • , Hanfeng Qin
    •  & Yingfeng Tu

  • Perspective
    | Open Access

    The design of polymers for regenerative medicine could be accelerated with the help of machine learning. Here the authors note that machine learning has been applied successfully in other areas of polymer chemistry, while highlighting that data limitations must be overcome to enable widespread adoption within polymeric biomaterials.

    • Samantha M. McDonald
    • , Emily K. Augustine
    •  & Matthew L. Becker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    3D scaffolds can be used to recapitulate key aspects of the microenvironment of primary tumors and metastatic organs. Here the authors use subcutaneous porous 3D scaffold implants as a tool to study the immune signals in the lungs of metastatic breast cancer, revealing multifaceted roles of neutrophils in regulating lung metastasis.

    • Jing Wang
    • , Ramon Ocadiz-Ruiz
    •  & Lonnie D. Shea

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Engineered living materials (ELMs) are emerging as a field at the intersection of materials science and synthetic biology. Here, the authors describe a photosynthetic ELM composed of genetically engineered cyanobacteria in a hydrogel matrix, capable of bioremediation and inducible cell death.

    • Debika Datta
    • , Elliot L. Weiss
    •  & Jonathan K. Pokorski

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) uses Fenton chemistry to covert hydrogen peroxide in cancer cells to toxic hydroxyl radicals, but endogenous hydrogen peroxide is insufficient to drive sustainable CDT. Here, the authors report a water oxidation CoFe Prussian blue nanoframe to provide sustained, external energy free self-supply of hydroxyl radicals for CDT.

    • Liu-Chun Wang
    • , Pei-Yu Chiou
    •  & Chen-Sheng Yeh

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