Review Articles

The features of smart devices such as smartphones and smart watches, including speakers, microphones and other sensors, can be leveraged for the design of mobile medical systems. This Review discusses acoustic-based, vision-based and sensor fusion systems that rely on smart device hardware and software for remote health and disease assessment.

The administration of therapeutics for chronic disease management faces challenges like precise dosage control and timely delivery. This Review explores how smart closed-loop systems can address these issues by integrating real-time biosensing with automated drug delivery, highlighting advancements in wearable and implantable technologies, artificial intelligence-enhanced control algorithms and the integration of synthetic biology for personalized, adaptive therapies.

The historically independent evolution of bioinspired and biointegrated vision is increasingly showing a trend of convergence. This Review discusses each technological framework emphasizing visual devices that mimic the structures of the natural eyes and the information-processing capabilities of biological visual systems.

Owing to advances in genome sequencing and editing, a genome can now be redesigned, synthesized and introduced into cells as desired. This Review discusses plant genome synthesis, highlighting bottom-up genome design, large-fragment assembly and site-directed targeting.

New organs can be engineered based on decellularized human and animal tissues to address the global shortage of donor organs. This Review discusses design principles for the engineering of new organs using decellularized animal-derived tissues, including decellularization, functionalization and characterization protocols.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is used in many nanomedicines but might cause the production of anti-PEG antibodies. This Review critically assesses mechanisms and effects of PEG immunogenicity and explores strategies to address PEG immunogenicity in the context of nanomedicine.

Bottom-up synthetic biology might greatly benefit from custom-made proteins as components of new biological systems. This Review discusses various protein optimization and design approaches, and explores how these can contribute to the generation of controllable synthetic cells.

CRISPR–Cas tools can be designed to kill or modify specific bacteria. This Review explores the engineering of CRISPR–Cas tools and corresponding delivery strategies for the treatment of bacterial infections and modification of the microbiome.

Plastic pollution could be partly addressed through the biocatalytic recycling of plastic waste streams. This Review discusses the identification and optimization of polyester-degrading enzymes for the large-scale recycling of plastic waste.

The function and fate of T cells are dictated by their various dynamic interactions with cells and tissues. This Review discusses the recreation of key T cell interfaces using nanotechnologies and microtechnologies for the mechanistic study of T cell biology, as well as the manufacturing and sorting of T cell products.

Beyond vaccines, RNA–lipid nanoparticle (LNP) nanomedicines have originally focused on cancer applications. This Review discusses how these therapeutics can also benefit acute critical illnesses (ACIs) owing to the short-term expression of mRNA while mitigating the adjuvant effect of LNPs, which, unlike in vaccines and cancer, can be a liability for ACIs.

The bone marrow is the primary site for haematopoiesis but can also become the origin of haematological malignancies. This Review discusses the complex mechanical behaviour of the bone marrow niche in health and disease, examining in vitro models to recreate and investigate the physiological and pathological mechanical signatures of the bone marrow.

Surgical robots can assist in medical procedures or autonomously perform surgical tasks. This Review explores the design and application of passive, interactive, teleoperated and autonomous surgical robots within the framework of computer-assisted and integrated surgical workflows.

DNA computing takes advantage of DNA molecular interactions to achieve information processing for liquid-phase computing. This Review discusses designing rules, implementation strategies and biomedical applications of DNA computing circuits.

Large language models have received great attention owing to their capabilities to understand and generate human language. This Review aims to provide an overview of the development and deployment of large language models in medicine, including the challenges and opportunities they face.

The brain continuously receives, integrates and responds to an influx of sensory signals emerging from the internal organs; this crosstalk is difficult to interrogate causally. In this Review, we discuss developments in multifunctional implantable neurotechnologies aimed at establishing robust bioelectronic interfaces between the brain and the peripheral organs suitable for long-term studies of brain–body signalling.

Organisms have evolved diverse colouration strategies, including dynamic colour change, which enables their rapid adaptation to environmental stimuli. This Review discusses the recreation of bioinspired colouration and dynamic colour change mechanisms for applications in optics, sensors and biomedicine.

Emerging perfusion technologies restore circulation and mitigate cell damage post ischaemia and reperfusion, showing promise for resuscitation medicine and organ transplantation. This Review explores cellular injury mechanisms, machine perfusion approaches and perfusate modifications for organ and whole-body recovery following circulatory cessation.

Electroceuticals apply electrical or electrochemical signals to regulate physiological functions. This Review explores (photo)electrochemical modulation in implantable electroceuticals, highlighting energy conversion principles and device designs for the remote control of biological systems.

A thorough understanding of the life cycle of extracellular vesicles is essential to unleash their full potential in biomarker identification and therapeutics development. This Review discusses the design and application of genetically encoded systems to study extracellular vesicle biogenesis, trafficking and degradation.