Biomaterials articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The structure of vaterite has been debated for a century. Combining systematic TEM characterisations, crystallographic analysis, and machine learning aided molecular dynamics simulations, the authors unlock the structural mystery in vaterite.

    • Xingyuan San
    • , Junwei Hu
    •  & Xiaobing Hu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ice formation on grooved surfaces is ubiquitous, but controlling orientation is difficult due to lack of mechanistic insight. Here, the authors observed oriented growth using graphene oxide nanosheets as probes, revealing the effect of groove size, and programmed ice growth to fabricate freeze-cast metamaterials.

    • Meng Li
    • , Nifang Zhao
    •  & Hao Bai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Achieving successful in vivo cartilage regeneration remains challenging. Here they present a cell-free, multiple hydrogen-bond crosslinked hydrogel loaded with tannic acid and Kartogenin with ultra-durable mechanical properties and stage-dependent drug release behavior to promote cartilage regeneration.

    • Yuxuan Yang
    • , Xiaodan Zhao
    •  & Xuesi Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Symbiosis should be maintained during the oral regeneration period. Herein, authors develop an occlusive membrane that induces symbiosis, thereby improving the performance of guided bone generation therapy.

    • Woojin Choi
    • , Utkarsh Mangal
    •  & Jinkee Hong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The oral delivery of nano-drug delivery systems (Nano-DDS) remains challenging. Here the authors construct core–shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles with virus-like nanospikes and demonstrate the versatility of these nanoparticles as Nano-DDS to achieve efficient oral drug delivery by mimicking structural feature, chiral recognition, and gene encapsulation of viruses.

    • Zhentao Sang
    • , Lu Xu
    •  & Heran Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The therapeutic benefits of biomaterials-based treatments for oral ulcer have been limited by the materials’ poor adhesion and short-time retention in oral cavity. Here, the authors report a polymer binary elastomer adhesive patch that allows water-responsive sustainable delivery of bioactive small molecules and durable adhesion to oral mucosal wounds to achieve efficient therapy of oral ulcer.

    • Chunyan Cui
    • , Li Mei
    •  & Wenguang Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The treatment of diabetic wounds tends to be hindered by complex wound environments, and the critical role of the microenvironment in the chronic diabetic wounds has not been explored for therapeutic development. Here, the authors develop a wound microenvironment-responsive microneedle bandage to achieve self-enhanced, catabolic and dynamic therapy of chronic wounds.

    • Li Yang
    • , Dan Zhang
    •  & Xiaowei Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Current techniques for visualizing cell generated forces suffer from throughput limitations. Here, Gu et al. introduced photonic crystal cellular force microscopy, inspired by chameleons, enabling visualization and quantification of vertically directed cell forces, well-suited for drug screening.

    • Qiwei Li
    • , Zaozao Chen
    •  & Zhongze Gu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Enveloped viruses encased within a lipid bilayer membrane are highly contagious and cause diseases like influenza and COVID-19, so strategies for their prevention and inactivation are needed. Here, the authors develop a diatomic iron nanozyme with lipoxidase-like activity for the inactivation of enveloped viruses, where the diatomic iron sites destroy the viral envelope via lipid peroxidation.

    • Beibei Li
    • , Ruonan Ma
    •  & Yadong Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Resorbable bioelectronic devices have potential as tools for monitoring physiological parameters, but short functional lifetimes have slowed translation. Here, the authors report succinate-based copolyesters with barrier properties able to extend the functional lifetime of devices.

    • Samantha M. McDonald
    • , Quansan Yang
    •  & Matthew L. Becker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Constructing polymer-based mimics on the surface of cells has potential to manipulate cell behavior, but precise control of grafting sites is challenging. Here, the authors report a method for site selected radical polymerization on cell surfaces by metabolic labelling.

    • Yihong Zhong
    • , Lijia Xu
    •  & Huangxian Ju

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reperfusion is a main strategy for restoring blood supply after ischemic stroke, but it induces neuroinflammation that undergoes dynamic progression, hindering the treatment of ischemic stroke. Here, the authors report a pathogenesis-adaptive nanosystem for sequential and on-demand regulation of reperfusion-induced dynamic neuroinflammation for ischemic stroke therapy.

    • Di Wu
    • , Jing Zhou
    •  & Zhong Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is needed yet difficult to achieve a strategy for synthesizing single-atom nanozymes that integrate atomic metal dispersion, elevated mass transport and tailorable coordination environment. Here, the authors address this issue by developing a biomimetic synthetic strategy and demonstrate the application of the resultant single-atom Fe nanozymes for tumor visual identification.

    • Da Chen
    • , Zhaoming Xia
    •  & Yongquan Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The dense stroma of desmoplastic tumor limits nanotherapeutic penetration and hampers the antitumor immune response. Here the authors use tin monosulfide nanoparticles as nano-sonosensitizers to overcome the stromal barrier in triple negative breast cancer and improve the efficacy of sonodynamic therapy and boost antitumor immunity.

    • Yongjiang Li
    • , Wei Chen
    •  & Wei Tao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite delivering gene-specific silencing, the use of deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) for cancer therapy is limited by toxicity due to off-target effects. Here, the authors develop a multi-component DNAzyme, targeting both miRNA21 and HSP70, to induce tumour-specific sensitisation to photothermal therapy in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

    • Jiaqi Yan
    • , Xiaodong Ma
    •  & Hongbo Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The near-infrared-II (NIR-II) window has shown great promise for in vivo imaging and therapy. Here, the authors integrate a homopolymer and thermo-sensitive nitric oxide prodrug into nanoparticles for long-wavelength NIR-II photoacoustic imaging and synergistic treatment in preclinical thrombosis models.

    • Jianwen Song
    • , Xiaoying Kang
    •  & Ji Qi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hollow inorganic spheres (HISs) hold potential in various technological areas including biocatalysis and biomedicine, but the harsh synthetic conditions have precluded the use of HISs in biological fields. Here, the authors report a biocompatible strategy for synthesizing metal hydroxide HISs that can function as tandem-biocatalytic reactors.

    • Sang Yeong Han
    • , Nayoung Kim
    •  & Insung S. Choi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Psoriasis is a common inflammatory disease, and the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in skin lesions plays a critical role in the progress of psoriasis. Here, the authors report the use of multienzyme-inspired biomimetic iron single-atom catalysts (FeN4O2-SACs) with broad-spectrum ROS-scavenging capability for psoriasis treatment and relapse prevention via related gene restoration.

    • Xiangyu Lu
    • , Le Kuai
    •  & Jianlin Shi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rational design has endowed self-assembling peptides with structural similarities to natural materials, but recreating the dynamic functional properties inherent to natural systems remains challenging. Here the authors report the discovery of a short peptide based on the tryptophan zipper motif, that shows multiscale hierarchical ordering into hydrogels that display emergent dynamic properties.

    • Ashley K. Nguyen
    • , Thomas G. Molley
    •  & Kristopher A. Kilian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endo-lysosomal escape is a highly inefficient process. Here the authors present a lipid-based nanoscale molecular machine that achieves efficient cytosolic transport of biologics by destabilizing endo-lysosomal compartments through nanomechanical action upon light irradiation.

    • Yu Zhao
    • , Zhongfeng Ye
    •  & Qiaobing Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of liposome-based drug delivery systems has been hindered by the systemic toxicity and limited duration of effect due to insufficient drug loading and leakage of payload. Here the authors address these issues by designing aromatized liposomes that feature increased drug loading and slowed release compared to conventional liposomes.

    • Yang Li
    • , Tianjiao Ji
    •  & Daniel S. Kohane

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Architected materials can have enhanced properties compared to bulk but are difficult to design. Here the authors propose a machine-learning-based pipeline to design architected materials with predetermined elastic modulus and enhanced yield strength and test it in additive manufacturing.

    • Bo Peng
    • , Ye Wei
    •  & Peng Wen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developing piezoelectric biocrystals that are stretchable while maintaining structure and stable piezoelectricity is challenging. Here, Li et al. report an amino acid-based piezoelectric biocrystal with omnidirectional stretchability enabled by a truss-like network, for wearable and implantable devices.

    • Jun Li
    • , Corey Carlos
    •  & Xudong Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Weak adhesion is a common hindrance to efficient utilization of pesticides in agricultural applications. Here, authors demonstrate leaf-adhesive tebuconazole nanopesticides which can be water-dispersed via flash nanoprecipitation using temperature-responsive copolymers PDMAEMA-b-PCL as the carrier.

    • Jie Tang
    • , Xiaojing Tong
    •  & Yisheng Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The use of biomaterial scaffolds-based cartilage grafts could potentially innovate the Osteoarthritis (OA) treatment, but has been limited by toxicity concerns and invasive surgical procedures. Here, the authors report an injectable and biodegradable piezoelectric hydrogel with ultrasound activation to offer a minimally invasive approach for OA treatment.

    • Tra Vinikoor
    • , Godwin K. Dzidotor
    •  & Thanh D. Nguyen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Flexible electronic hydrogels that allow conformal tissue integration, online precision diagnosis, and simultaneous tissue regeneration are desired for advancing the treatment of myocardial infarction. Here, the authors report a chronological adhesive hydrogel patch integrating diagnostic and therapeutic functions through mechanophysiological monitoring and electrocoupling therapy.

    • Chaojie Yu
    • , Mingyue Shi
    •  & Junjie Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Brain injuries can result in significant damage to the cerebral cortex, and restoring the cellular architecture of the tissue remains challenging. Here, the authors use a droplet printing technique to fabricate a simplified human cerebral cortical column and demonstrate its functionality and potential for future personalized therapy approaches.

    • Yongcheng Jin
    • , Ellina Mikhailova
    •  & Hagan Bayley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ferumoxytol (Fer) is an FDA-approved iron oxide formulation that disrupts caries-causing biofilms with high specificity but cannot interfere with enamel acid demineralization. Here, Fer is combined with stannous fluoride (SnF2), resulting in enhanced stability of SnF2 and inhibition of both biofilm accumulation and enamel damage more effectively than either alone.

    • Yue Huang
    • , Yuan Liu
    •  & Hyun Koo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The neurotoxicity of organophosphate compounds damages nerve system by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression, but it is difficult to overcome the deactivation of AChE. Here, the authors report the design of Lewis acid sites in metal-organic frameworks as AChE mimics for effective neuroprotection.

    • Weiqing Xu
    • , Xiaoli Cai
    •  & Chengzhou Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Skin scarring devoid of dermal appendages has unfavorable effects on aesthetic and physiological functions. Here, the authors present a treatment based on extracellular matrix scaffolds and perform multimodal analysis to highlight the role of Tregs recruited by the biomaterial in mitigating tissue fibrous by suppressing excessive inflammation.

    • Yang Yang
    • , Chenyu Chu
    •  & Yili Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Phototherapy of deep tumors suffers from many obstacles, such as limited near-infrared tissue penetration depth and low accumulation efficiency within the target sites. Here, the authors report stimuli sensitive tumor-targeted photodynamic nanoparticles with persistent luminescence for the treatment of deep tumors.

    • Sarun Juengpanich
    • , Shijie Li
    •  & Mingyu Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Embolization is one of the most promising strategies for clinical disease treatments, however, the existing embolic materials normally have poor embolization effectiveness. Here, the authors report Janus particle-engineered structural lipiodol droplets by programming the self-assembly of Janus particles at the lipiodol-water interface to achieve highly efficient renal embolization.

    • Sijian Tao
    • , Bingquan Lin
    •  & Jun-Bing Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fibrous networks constructed from high aspect ratio protein building blocks are ubiquitous in nature, but the functional advantage of such building blocks over globular proteins is not understood. Here, using shear rheology and small-angle neutron scattering, the authors characterise the mechanical and structural properties of photochemically crosslinked protein L and fibrin networks and show that aspect ratio is a crucial property that defines network architecture and mechanics.

    • Matt D. G. Hughes
    • , Sophie Cussons
    •  & Lorna Dougan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While glycolysis inhibition impairs cancer cell tumourigenic capacities, it also affects immune cells anti-tumour activity. Here, the authors show that rescuing glycolytic inhibition of dendritic cells improves the efficacy of combining immunotherapy with glycolysis inhibition.

    • Sahil Inamdar
    • , Abhirami P. Suresh
    •  & Abhinav P. Acharya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pyroptosis and ferroptosis are typically induced by metal species or chemotherapeutic drugs, and able to boost a robust antitumor immunity, however their therapeutic uses have been hindered by the risks arising from metal species or chemotherapeutic drugs. Here the authors report a pyroptosis and ferroptosis dual-inducer based on non-metallic AIEgen-based covalent organic frameworks.

    • Liang Zhang
    • , An Song
    •  & Zhi-Jun Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Manipulating the internal interactions within biological fibers to tune macroscopic properties is important but challenging, and can limit applications. Here, the authors report the use of dynamic imine chemistry for engineering molecular interactions and forming strong and tough protein fibers.

    • Jing Sun
    • , Haonan He
    •  & Kai Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Highly localized mechanical forces that shape in vivo tissue development remain challenging to recapitulate in vitro. Here the authors use magnetically actuated nanoparticles to generate spatially defined forces within organoids, which guide the spatial organization of tissue patterning and growth.

    • Abdel Rahman Abdel Fattah
    • , Niko Kolaitis
    •  & Adrian Ranga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Photodegradable gels are useful for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, but typically respond to UV light. Here, the authors report a family of 3 photolabile linkers that cleave rapidly and with unique tricolor wavelength-selectivity to visible light.

    • Teresa L. Rapp
    •  & Cole A. DeForest

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