Review Articles in 2026

Lipid nanoparticles can serve as carriers for RNA therapies, enabling efficient encapsulation, cellular uptake and controlled protein expression. This Review explores their design principles, key components, physicochemical properties and therapeutic potential, highlighting how formulation parameters influence delivery performance.

Immune interactions are complex, dynamic and difficult to capture using static imaging modalities on in vitro or ex vivo tissue cultures. In this Review, the authors discuss techniques for in vivo imaging of the immune system including one-photon near-infrared II fluorescence and two-photon and multiphoton microscopy for longitudinal tracking of immune cells, as well as a translational path that integrates near-infrared II, positron-emission tomography or MRI and artificial intelligence-enabled analysis towards quantitative, clinically compatible, multimodal immuno-imaging.

mRNA technologies offer potential solutions for HIV-1 vaccine development by enabling rapid, safe and modular antigen design that can initiate rare antibody lineages required for broad protection. In this Review, we discuss preclinical and early clinical evidence, outline remaining challenges — particularly breadth and durability — and discuss delivery and manufacturing advances that may help translate these approaches into effective preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Organoids offer physiologically relevant 3D models, yet translating them into clinical and industrial use requires robust analytical platforms. In this Review, key strategies for characterizing electrophysiological, biophysical and optical properties are discussed, alongside the integration of omics and computational technologies to decode organoid function and behaviour.

Delivering drugs directly to the lungs enables targeted treatment and long-term drug retention, while minimizing systemic side effects. This Review explores the design of microrobotic platforms engineered for pulmonary drug delivery.

Mechanical forces are crucial regulators of biological functions in health and disease, offering measurable biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This Review introduces the principles of mechanomedicine and highlights its translational potential across scales, from tissue diagnostics to molecular mechanotherapeutics.

Continuous neuromonitoring is vital for guiding neurocritical care, yet artefacts frequently obscure cerebral physiological signals and hinder clinical decisions. In this Review, sources of artefacts and their clinical impact are examined, alongside emerging strategies — both knowledge-based and data-driven — for artefact mitigation, sensor design and artificial intelligence-enabled real-time monitoring in precision neurocare.

Cellulose crystals can be engineered at the molecular level, creating porous structures consisting of aligned, functionalized nanochannels. This approach enables the development of advanced materials with directional ion transport and antimicrobial properties for applications such as thermoelectric devices, solid-state batteries and long-lasting antimicrobial textiles.

Droplet microfluidics enables the precise fabrication of microgels, which are microscale hydrogel particles that serve as modular building blocks for biomaterials. This Review outlines principles of microfluidic microgel production, strategies for tailoring structure and functionality, and applications spanning drug delivery, cell culture and tissue engineering, while highlighting current challenges and future directions.