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In patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC), resistance to the standard-of-care induction chemotherapy often occurs. Here, using longitudinal single-cell transcriptomic profiling of HPSCC samples from patients receiving induction chemotherapy, the authors identify a ZNF683-high natural killer (NK) cell population as a predictor of chemotherapy response.

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.

Replacing traditional PEG-lipids in lipid nanoparticle formulations with zwitterionic polymer–lipid and brush polymer–lipid conjugates offers enhanced intracellular delivery and reduced immunogenicity, making them promising alternatives to PEGylated nanoparticles.

Reaching the depths of the respiratory tract is hard even with vapor-based drug delivery. Here, the authors devise inhalable biohybrid microrobots that, thanks to their motility, reach deeper regions of the lungs.

A three-dimensional field-effect transistor array produced via compressive buckling enables accurate and minimally invasive intra- and intercellular recordings in cells and cellular networks.

Biohybrid microrobots consisting of nanoparticle-modified microalgae are constructed for active drug delivery in the lungs. In an acute bacterial pneumonia model, the microrobots effectively reduce bacterial burden and lessen animal mortality.

A new procedure for cataract removal that preserves lens epithelial progenitor cells in mammals, which require Pax6 and Bmi1 for their self-renewal, achieves lens regeneration in rabbits, macaques and in infants with cataracts.

The immunostimulatory properties of TLR7/8 agonists, such as resiquimod, have been exploited for cancer immunotherapy. Here, the authors design platelet membrane-cloaked nanoparticles for selective intratumoral delivery of resiquimod, resulting in potent anti-tumor immune response in a range of preclinical solid tumors.

Following our call to join in the discussion over the suitability of implementing a reporting checklist for bio–nano papers, the community responds.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitors have been shown to be able to treat acute pancreatitis, but are toxic with systemic application. Here the authors design a nanoparticle with macrophage membrane components to carry PLA2 inhibitor to macrophages and treat pancreatitis in mice, with no evidence of toxicity.

Synthetic nanoparticles coated with cell membranes show immune evasion and circulate longer. Here, a genetically engineered cell membrane expressing a SpyCatcher anchor is used as a modular nanotherapeutic drug delivery platform for high-affinity targeting and suppression of ovarian cancer.

An ultrasonic and stretchable device conformal to the skin that captures blood pressure waveforms at deeply embedded arterial and venous sites enables the continuous monitoring of cardiovascular events.

A polymeric nanoparticle wrapped in natural membranes of red blood cells can absorb certain toxins and divert them from their cellular targets, offering a biologically inspired detoxification platform.

Centrosome amplification is common in cancer, but the mechanism is not clear. Here the authors uncover a role for Kruppel-like factor 14 (KLF14) as a transcriptional repressor of polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4); KLF14 depletion correlates with increased PLK4 in human samples and leads to centrosome amplification and tumorigenesis in mice.

Liposomes are a leading drug-delivery platform in cancer chemotherapy. Now they can be used to destroy cancer cells through a method that converts chemical energy to mechanical force. These localized disruptions can cause cell death while minimizing the collateral damage to neighbouring cells.

A nanofibre optic force transducer with 0.2 pN sensitivity is demonstrated. The set-up is used to monitor bacterial motion, observe heart cell beating and detect infrasound power in solution.

A vaccine in which toxin antigens are non-disruptively detoxified by the use of nanoparticles provides improved efficacy and immunogenicity as compared with toxoid vaccines prepared from denaturation processes.

Using carbonyl compounds or alcohols as alkylating reagents for the synthesis of α-alkylated nitriles is appealing from a sustainability perspective. Here, a single-atom catalyst with Zn–N₄ motifs acting as Lewis acid sites effectively activates alcohols, thus promoting various alkylation and transfer hydrogenation reactions using biomass-derived alcohols as both the alkylating reagents and hydrogen donors.

Neutrophil membrane-coated nanoparticles reduce neutrophil-mediated inflammation in animal models of rheumatoid arthritis by acting as decoy devices and interacting with immunoregulatory agents targeted towards these cells.

REGγ, a proteasome activator, is associated with multiple oncogenic pathways in human cancers and can promote the degradation of multiple proteins including p53. Here the authors highlight a potential role for REGγ in skin cancer and propose a molecular mechanism linking p38 MAPK and Wnt signalling.

A biohybrid nanoparticle formulation effectively treats rheumatoid arthritis by concurrently providing symptom relief and restoring proper immune function.

The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance is recognized as a major public health threat. Nanomaterials have risen to tackle this problem through either improving the potency of existing antibiotics or generating entirely new antibacterial mechanisms.

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.

Nano- and micromotors have been demonstrated in vitro for a range of applications. Here the authors demonstrate the in-vivo therapeutic use of micromotors to treat H. pylori infection.

p63 and PAX6 act to specify limbal stem or progenitor cells (LSCs), and WNT7A controls corneal epithelium differentiation through PAX6; loss of WNT7A or PAX6 induces LSCs into epithelium, and transduction of PAX6 in skin epithelial stem cells converts them to LSC-like cells and transplantation in a rabbit corneal injury model can replenish corneal epithelial cells and repair damaged corneal surface.

Topically applied spherical nucleic acids targeting an intracellular mRNA biomarker associated with abnormal scarring enable the fluorescent detection of abnormal scars during wound healing.

During the past decade, there have been substantial advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis and genetics of eye diseases. Focusing on glaucoma and retinal disorders, Zhang and colleagues review the current status of ocular drug therapy, discuss novel agents currently in development and clinical trials and highlight recent advances in drug delivery.

Endogenous stem cells play a key role in the repair and remodelling of tissues and organs in the body. This Review discusses endogenous stem cell populations of different tissues and investigates regeneration approaches in combination with natural and synthetic biomaterials.

Exploring the genetic basis of congenital cataracts in two families identifies a molecule, lanosterol, which prevents intracellular protein aggregation of various cataract-causing mutant crystallins, and which can reduce cataract severity and increase lens transparency in vivo in dogs.

The authors report a new biomimetic nanodelivery platform in which polymeric nanoparticles enclosed in the plasma membrane of human platelets are used for disease-relevant targeting, and the therapeutic potential of the concept is demonstrated in animal models of coronary restenosis and systemic bacterial infection.

This Perspective discusses progress in the development of robotic capsules for oral drug delivery and the challenges of realizing sophisticated multifunctional robotic pills that can function as closed-loop systems.

Owing to several limitations, including elimination by the immune system and a lack of tumour specificity, systemically administered synthetic nanoparticles are used for a limited range of cancer indications. In this Review, the authors describe the potential of cellular nanoparticles (comprising a cell membrane coating around a synthetic core) to overcome these issues as well as their application in drug delivery, phototherapy and immunotherapy.