Synthetic Catalysts for Biomedicine and Biotechnology

Biocatalysis is fundamental to biological processes and sustainable applications, and the emergence of nanozymes, nanomaterials with intrinsic biocatalytic activity, has broadened the field of biocatalysis. This review explores the fundamental definition and distinctive characteristics of nanozymes, and highlights the potential of nanozymes as biocatalytic materials in biomedical applications

Artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) often have sensitive metal centers. Here the authors enhance ArM performance by inducing liquid–liquid phase separation in Escherichia coli, creating protective compartments. This strategy boosts ArM loading, stabilizes activity and enables in vivo applications.

NCOMMS-24-44031B Nanozymes have found wide applications in various fields, but the deviation between the working and optimal pHs of nanozymes limits their practical applications. Here, the authors report a strategy to modulate the microenvironmental pHs of metal–organic framework nanozymes, enabling them to exhibit optimal activity under neutral pH conditions.

Iron-based nanozymes are promising for tumor catalytic therapy owing to their biocompatibility and peroxidase-like activity, but the concurrent catalase-like activity undermines the therapeutic efficacy. Here, the authors address this issue by developing a hemin–cysteine–Fe nanozyme, which exhibits catalytic selectivity and exclusive peroxidase-like activity.

The efficiency of photosensitizers-based photodynamic immunotherapy for cancer treatment is conventionally restricted by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and oxygen dependence. Here, the authors address these issues by developing a design strategy of converting molecular photosensitizers to semiconductor-like photocatalysts.

Disturbing the redox balance in anaerobic bacteria presents a promising but underdeveloped strategy for the treatment of difficult-to-cure diseases caused by anaerobic bacteria. Here, the authors report a photocatalytic system to perturb the redox balance in oxygen-free conditions, achieving photocatalytic therapy to treat periodontitis.

This study shows that liquid-liquid phase separation enhances the catalytic efficiency of peptides by up to 15,000-fold through the formation of peptide coacervates. These microreactors can also selectively recruit phosphorylated proteins, providing insights into the evolution of enzymatic activity.

Low activity currently prevents the wider use of DNA enzymes (DNAzymes). Here the authors report the chemical evolution of a DNAzyme with high catalytic activity under near physiological conditions: the enzyme achieves ~65 turnovers in 30 minutes.

H₂S donors in living cells are essential for modulating H₂S levels and have been proposed to be relevant for managing hepatic disorders, but conventional platforms to screen for H₂S donors are plagued by interference by endogenous background fluorescence signals. Here, the authors develop a luminogenic probe—based on an Ir(III) complex with a 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione moiety—capable of selective response to mitochondrial H₂S, and set up an anti-interference high-throughput screening system capable of distinguishing target signals from complex background autofluorescence in living cells.

Effective chemical catalysts can artificially control intracellular metabolism, however, driving catalysts in living cells remains challenging. Here, the authors develop Ca²⁺-responsive artificial allosteric redox catalysts that resist the redox imbalance induced by the reactive oxygen species generated by Ca²⁺-stimulated mitochondria.

Biotic-abiotic hybrid systems are promising for solar-to-chemical conversion, but it remains challenging to achieve atomically precise interface contact. Here, the authors report a general strategy of facilitating direct electron uptake via building single-atom bridges across biotic-abiotic interfaces to enhance solar-driven hydrogen production.

Natural photosynthesis converts sunlight into chemical energy. Here, the authors present the 2.27-Å cryo-EM structure of Photosystem I bound to platinum nanoparticles, revealing insights into photon-to-fuel catalytic activity for hydrogen production.

Biotic-abiotic photosynthetic systems hold great promise to innovate solar-driven chemical transformation. Here, the authors construct a biotic-abiotic hybrid system composed of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and biogenic Se⁰ nanoparticles for photothermal Cu_2-xSe biomineralization and then for seawater desalination.

In the context of enviromental applications, refining enzymes into more minimalist structures could ease production costs, improve stability, and improve reusability. Here, the authors report a single amino acid bionanozyme that can catalyze the rapid oxidation of environmentally toxic phenolic contaminates and serves as a tool to detect biologically important neurotransmitters similar to the laccase enzyme.

While the combination of synthetic and biological systems offers an appealing strategy for solar-to-fuel conversion, such hybrid systems typically suffer from low selectivity. Here, authors integrate a bimetallic alloy with a CdS-containing methanogen for selective CO₂ reduction to methane.

The electrochemical Leaf (e-Leaf) is an emerging technology that addresses complex enzyme cascades nanoconfined within a porous conducting material—exploiting efficient electron tunneling and local NADP(H) recycling to transduce catalysis and electricity. Here, the authors describe how the e-Leaf was discovered, the steps in its development so far, and the outlook for future research and applications.