Biomaterials articles within Nature Materials

Featured

  • Editorial |

    The fundamental discoveries that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 were awarded with this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine.

  • News & Views |

    Three protein interaction surfaces are computationally designed into one protein subunit to enable their accurate assembly into three-dimensional crystals with user-specified lattice architectures.

    • Eduardo Anaya-Plaza
    •  & Mauri A. Kostiainen

  • Article |

    The rational design and assembly of colloidal quasicrystals is achieved by exploring the hybridization of nanoscale decahedra nanoparticles functionalized with DNA linkers.

    • Wenjie Zhou
    • , Yein Lim
    •  & Chad A. Mirkin

  • Article |

    The process of protein crystallization is poorly understood and difficult to program through the primary sequence. Here the authors develop a computational approach to designing three-dimensional protein crystals with prespecified lattice architectures with high accuracy.

    • Zhe Li
    • , Shunzhi Wang
    •  & David Baker

  • Article |

    Organic luminophores emit a bright near-infrared afterglow after X-ray irradiation and outperform commercially available radio sensitizers by producing higher levels of singlet oxygen, having potential applications in precision cancer theranostics.

    • Jingsheng Huang
    • , Lichao Su
    •  & Kanyi Pu

  • Article |

    Hydrogels are promising materials but are often limited by inadequate mechanical properties and time-consuming fabrication processes. Here the authors demonstrate a rapid biomimetic interfacial-bonding nanocomposite strategy for ultra-tough hydrogels with high tensile strength.

    • Bingkun Bao
    • , Qingmei Zeng
    •  & Linyong Zhu

  • Article |

    Microtubules respond to mechanical compression by deforming, becoming more stable, which results in CLASP2 recruitment to the distorted shaft—a process crucial for cell migration through confined spaces.

    • Yuhui Li
    • , Ondřej Kučera
    •  & Manuel Théry

  • Review Article |

    RNA-based therapeutics hold promise for the treatment of several diseases. This Review provides an overview of hydrogels for RNA delivery, discussing how the chemical nature and physical properties of hydrogels can be explored for tailored RNA loading and release, and highlighting the use of these materials in biomedical applications.

    • Ruibo Zhong
    • , Sepehr Talebian
    •  & Jinjun Shi

  • News & Views |

    A bioengineered model incorporating a synthetic extracellular matrix recapitulates the lymphoid tumour microenvironment, making it a valuable tool for drug testing and designing personalized therapies.

    • Akhilesh K. Gaharwar
    •  & Irtisha Singh

  • News & Views |

    A polymeric nanoparticle adjuvant containing a Toll-like receptor 7 agonist elicits broad protection against viral challenges.

    • Jorge Huete-Carrasco
    •  & Ed C. Lavelle

  • News & Views |

    A large-scale screening identifies an inhalable polymer nanoparticle formulation that safely and effectively delivers therapeutic mRNA molecules to the lungs of several animal species.

    • Ronnie H. Fang
    •  & Liangfang Zhang

  • Research Briefing |

    Three-dimensional printing of hydrogels loaded with fungal mycelium can produce living materials with unique adaptive properties in shapes that are relevant for engineering applications. The metabolic activity of the living mycelial network allows the printed structure to grow autonomously and self-regenerate when it is provided with nutrients in water.

  • Review Article |

    This Review discusses recent progress in bioinspired nanocomposite design, emphasizing the role of hierarchical structuring at distinct length scales to create multifunctional, lightweight and robust structural materials for diverse technological applications.

    • Dhriti Nepal
    • , Saewon Kang
    •  & Hendrik Heinz

  • Letter |

    Reconstituted cytoskeleton networks linked with catch bonds display increased mechanical strength and crack resistance than those containing slip bonds, and simultaneously being more deformable, which allows for better adaptability to new mechanical environments.

    • Yuval Mulla
    • , Mario J. Avellaneda
    •  & Gijsje H. Koenderink

  • Comment |

    Semi-synthetic goldilocks material design integrates the tunable characteristics of synthetic materials and the refined complexity of natural components, enabling for the progress of biomaterials across length scales. Accelerated translational success may thus be possible for more personalized and accessible products.

    • Alessondra T. Speidel
    • , Christopher L. Grigsby
    •  & Molly M. Stevens

  • Comment |

    Twentieth-century utopian visions of a space-age future have been eclipsed by dystopian fears of climate change and environmental degradation. Avoiding such grim forecasts depends on materials innovation and our ability to predict and plan not only their behaviour but also their sustainable manufacture, use and recyclability.

    • Philip Ball

  • News & Views |

    Wireless optoelectronic devices are fabricated by controlling the porosity of p-type silicon, enabling in vivo efficient, non-genetic optoelectronic modulation of peripheral nerve activity.

    • Silvestro Micera
    •  & Eugenio Redolfi Riva

  • Article |

    Fabrication of semiconductor heterojunctions typically involves a complex process and often leads to bioincompatibility. Here, the authors propose a porous heterojunction in p-type silicon via simple stain etching at ambient conditions, and apply it in optically induced biomodulation.

    • Aleksander Prominski
    • , Jiuyun Shi
    •  & Menahem Y. Rotenberg

  • News & Views |

    Lipid nanodiscs carrying a potent STING agonist penetrate deep into solid tumours compared with gold-standard liposomes and enable long-term antitumour immunotherapy.

    • Ningqiang Gong
    •  & Michael J. Mitchell

  • Editorial |

    The dissemination of synthetic biology into materials science is creating an evolving class of functional, engineered living materials that can grow, sense and adapt similar to biological organisms.

  • News & Views |

    A prototypical biocomposite block comprising a blend of bacteria, fungi and feedstock can be assembled into human-sized, living structures with self-healing and environmental sensing capabilities.

    • Kwok Soon Wun
    • , In Young Hwang
    •  & Matthew Wook Chang

  • Perspective |

    This Perspective reviews the complementary developments in synthetic biology and biomaterials and discusses how convergence of these two fields creates a promising design strategy for the fabrication of tailored living materials for medicine and biotechnology.

    • Allen P. Liu
    • , Eric A. Appel
    •  & Ovijit Chaudhuri

  • Article |

    Wiring photosynthetic biomachineries to electrodes is promising for sustainable bio-electricity and fuel generation, but designing such interfaces is challenging. Aerosol jet printing is now used to generate hierarchical pillar array electrodes using indium tin oxide nanoparticles for high-performance semi-artificial photosynthesis.

    • Xiaolong Chen
    • , Joshua M. Lawrence
    •  & Jenny Z. Zhang

  • Article |

    The influence of stress relaxation of the extracellular matrix on the formation of intestinal organoids was investigated. It was shown that a stress-relaxing synthetic matrix promotes crypt budding through increased symmetry breaking and niche cell formation.

    • Antonius Chrisnandy
    • , Delphine Blondel
    •  & Matthias P. Lutolf

  • Article |

    The large-scale fabrication of cellulose nanocrystal photonic films in a roll-to-roll device is achieved by careful optimization of the cellulose nanocrystal formulation and its controlled deposition and drying on a substrate. Once dry, these photonic films can be peeled and milled into effect pigments, highlighting the potential of cellulose nanocrystals as a sustainable material for industrial photonic applications.

    • Benjamin E. Droguet
    • , Hsin-Ling Liang
    •  & Silvia Vignolini

  • News & Views |

    A nanosensor probe that combines a tumour-targeting peptide, a diagnostic reporter and an imaging contrast agent enables early diagnosis, precision imaging, disease stratification and downstream therapeutic response monitoring of metastatic cancer.

    • Matthew Bogyo

  • Editorial |

    DNA is much more than the genetic information it carries. It is a versatile material for creating systems with tailor-made functionalities that are having an important impact in emerging technologies.

  • News & Views |

    Data-encoded DNA sequences have been encapsulated in barcoded silica beads for a random access storage system without PCR amplification.

    • Luca Piantanida
    •  & William L. Hughes

  • Review Article |

    This Review summarizes limitations in the current techniques used for patient-derived cancer organoid culture and highlights recent advancements and future opportunities for their standardization.

    • Bauer L. LeSavage
    • , Riley A. Suhar
    •  & Sarah C. Heilshorn

  • Article |

    A functional interfacial material has been developed for soft integration of bioelectronic devices with biological tissues. This has been applied in battery-free optoelectronic systems for deep-brain optogenetics and subdermal phototherapy as well as wireless millimetre-scale pacemakers and flexible multielectrode epicardial arrays.

    • Quansan Yang
    • , Tong Wei
    •  & John A. Rogers

  • News & Views |

    An implantable stent inspired by kirigami has been developed and integrated with a fluidically driven soft actuator to deliver drugs to tubular organs in the body such as the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts.

    • Alexandra Teleki
    •  & Per Artursson

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