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.

Placental organoids offer powerful tools to advance diagnostics and therapies for pregnancy complications including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. However, most current models rely on animal-derived materials and heterogenous cell sources. Developing human-based physiologically relevant organoid models is essential to understand disease phenotypes and improve clinical care for high-risk pregnancies.

Surgeons depend on a finely tuned multisensory system, in which vision and kinaesthesia work in synergy to manipulate tissue with precision. Translating this to robotic systems requires a hierarchical framework of artificial kinaesthesia, progressing from physical sensing to algorithmic understanding, and finally, to synergistic control.

Four-dimensional bioprinting of tissues goes beyond cellular constructs that evolve or mature over time. It should incorporate time as an active design parameter, enabling programmed and predictable transformations. This requires implementing shape-morphing behaviour, either within materials or cell–matrix composites, to control the construct’s transition in form or size.

When soft tissue is mechanically deformed, new material properties and functionalities can emerge. Through rational design of dynamic covalent chemistry and network architecture, new force-catalysed activities in hydrogels can be achieved, forming the basis of a ‘mechanochemical toolbox’ to expand the functionality of soft synthetic biomaterials.

A bioresorbable, light-activated polymer, integrated with a 3D-printed chamber, enables atraumatic and sutureless peripheral nerve repair. Translating this material platform from concept to clinical reality required iterative design, scalable manufacturing, multidisciplinary collaboration and long-term vision for a versatile surgical technology.

As artificial intelligence enters the scientific arena, it not only compels us to rethink the scientific method but also opens the door to reimagine long-standing practices.

Precision health is based on multimodal, personal data from individuals. However, regulatory frameworks typically require collecting only what is strictly necessary, a standard that is difficult to define in biomedicine. Here we explore how data minimization can be embedded into precision health, turning privacy from a limitation into a guiding design principle for data collection, storage and governance.

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.