Biotechnology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Different approaches have been described for the transdermal delivery of drugs. Here the authors report the design of a fluorocarbon modified chitosan-based non-invasive transdermal platform for the delivery of biomacromolecules, such as viral antigens for vaccines or immune checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma immunotherapy.

    • Wenjun Zhu
    • , Ting Wei
    •  & Zhuang Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthetic Chromosome Rearrangement and Modification by LoxP-mediated Evolution (SCRaMbLE) is a promising tool to study genomic rearrangements. Here the authors present an engineered yeast strain with 83 sparsely distributed loxPsym sites across the genome can genrerate large-scale genomic rearrangements, which benefits cell fitness under stress and boosts the SCRaMbLE system when combined with synthetic chromosomes.

    • Li Cheng
    • , Shijun Zhao
    •  & Junbiao Dai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthetic microbial communities are suitable for mixed substrates fermentation and long metabolic pathway engineering. Here, the authors combine fermentation experiments with mathematical modeling to reveal the effect of compositional and temporal changes on division of labor in cellulosic ethanol production using two yeast strains.

    • Jonghyeok Shin
    • , Siqi Liao
    •  & Yong-Su Jin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector of several major pathogens including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. Here the authors find that a CRISPR/Cas9 based split gene drive in Aedes aegypti could successfully bias inheritance up to 89% over successive generations in a multi-cage trial with further deep sequencing suggesting that the multiplexing design could mitigate resistance allele formation.

    • Michelle A. E. Anderson
    • , Estela Gonzalez
    •  & Luke Alphey

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The efficacy of drug-eluting stents remains limited due to delayed reendothelialization, impaired intimal remodeling, and potentially increased late restenosis. Here the authors propose a one-produces-multi stent coating, a drug-free strategy that supports in situ healing of vascular tissues, as demonstrated in rabbit and porcine models.

    • Haoshuang Wu
    • , Li Yang
    •  & Yunbing Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Adipose stem cells are promising therapeutic agents in tissue regeneration. Here the authors develop a lipid nanoparticle/RNA engineering platform to enhance the protein production of these cells, which demonstrate superior healing efficacy in a mouse model of diabetic cutaneous wounds.

    • Yonger Xue
    • , Yuebao Zhang
    •  & Yizhou Dong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rapid identification of drug-resistant bacteria is vital for effective treatment and to avoid antibiotic misuse. Here authors report a paper-based sensor which utilises chromogenic carbapenem and cephalosporin substrates for the identification and discrimination of β-lactamase subtypes.

    • Wenshuai Li
    • , Jingqi Li
    •  & Dingbin Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    No consensus exists on the computationally tractable use of dynamic models for strain design. To tackle this, the authors report a framework, nonlinear-dynamic-model-assisted rational metabolic engineering design, for efficiently designing robust, artificially engineered cellular organisms.

    • Bharath Narayanan
    • , Daniel Weilandt
    •  & Vassily Hatzimanikatis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanical dysregulation of cells is associated with several diseases and strategies to deliver drugs based on the “mechanical phenotype” of a cell are desirable. Here, the authors design and characterize DNA mechanocapsules comprised of DNA tetrahedrons that are force responsive, and showed they can encapsulate macromolecular cargo and release it upon application of force.

    • Arventh Velusamy
    • , Radhika Sharma
    •  & Khalid Salaita

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cas13 systems suffer from a lack of spatiotemporal control. Here the authors report paCas13, a light-inducible Cas13 system created by fusing Magnet with fragment pairs; they also report padCas13, a light-inducible base-editing system by fusing ADAR2 to catalytically inactive paCas13 fragments.

    • Jeonghye Yu
    • , Jongpil Shin
    •  & Won Do Heo

  • Comment
    | Open Access

    While the research community continues to develop novel proposals for intrinsic biocontainment of genetically engineered organisms, translation to real-world deployment faces several challenges.

    • Dalton R. George
    • , Mark Danciu
    •  & Emma K. Frow

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The in-depth study on the sweat–blood partitioning mechanisms of amino acids is promising for noninvasive metabolic monitoring. Here, the authors develop a wearable biochip for sweat phenylalanine multimodal analysis aimed at tracking exercise metabolic risk and exploring the sweat–blood correlation.

    • Bowen Zhong
    • , Xiaokun Qin
    •  & Lili Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In contrast to their clinical success as inhibitors and targeting agents, antibodies have generally been ineffective as receptor agonists. Here, Romei et al. leverage a natural homotypic interface to tune antibody geometry, enabling optimization of agonist activity for multiple therapeutic targets.

    • Matthew G. Romei
    • , Brandon Leonard
    •  & Greg A. Lazar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is an unmet medical need for the detection and treatment of early adenomas to prevent their progression to malignant disease. Here the authors show that orally administered E. coli Nissle 1917 can selectively colonize adenomas in mouse models and in patients as a detection tool, as well as deliver immunotherapeutics for colorectal neoplasia treatment.

    • Candice R. Gurbatri
    • , Georgette A. Radford
    •  & Tal Danino

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrical signals with characteristic parameters for reconstructing neural circuits remain incompletely understood, limiting the therapeutic potential of electrical neuromodulation techniques. Here, the authors demonstrate that dual electrical stimulation at 10–20 Hz rebuilds the spinal sensorimotor neural circuit after spinal cord injury, indicating the characteristic signals of circuit remodeling.

    • Kai Zhou
    • , Wei Wei
    •  & Yaobo Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Notch receptor is known to be activated by a pulling force, but whether it is strictly required remains to be clarified. Here, the authors demonstrate activation of Notch through soluble multivalent DNA origami constructs, showing effects in neuroepithelial-like stem cells.

    • Ioanna Smyrlaki
    • , Ferenc Fördős
    •  & Björn Högberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here the authors screen different lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations for intramuscular delivery of plasmid DNA and uptake by antigen-presenting cells. The lead LNP exhibits immunogenicity and protection in small animal models that is comparable to approved SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine formulations.

    • Lays Cordeiro Guimaraes
    • , Pedro Augusto Carvalho Costa
    •  & Pedro Pires Goulart Guimaraes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The recent emergence of monoclonal antibodies able to neutralize snake toxins have revolutionized the approach of developing novel therapies to treat snakebite envenoming, at least in animal models. Here, the authors show antibody-dependent enhancement of toxicity (ADET) for a toxin derived from snake venom and highlight the importance of this phenomenon when testing therapeutic antibodies against snake venoms in animal models.

    • Christoffer V. Sørensen
    • , Julián Fernández
    •  & Andreas H. Laustsen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Organic neural implants hold considerable promise for biocompatible neural interfaces. Here, the authors employ polymer-based organic electrochemical diodes and transistors to develop neuron-sized complex circuits, enabling multiplexing without crosstalk and demonstrate that, when integrated onto ultra-thin plastic, these circuits achieve high performance while maintaining minimal invasiveness.

    • Ilke Uguz
    • , David Ohayon
    •  & Kenneth L. Shepard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Harvesting biomechanical energy from cardiac motion is an attractive power source for implantable bioelectronic devices. Here, the authors report a battery-free, transcatheter, self-powered intracardiac pacemaker for the treatment of arrhythmia in large animal models.

    • Zhuo Liu
    • , Yiran Hu
    •  & Zhong Lin Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microneedle patches that can actively address individual needles are challenging to realize. Here, the authors introduce a spatiotemporal on-demand patch for precise and personalized drug delivery, utilizing electrically triggered control with drug-loaded microneedles and biocompatible metallic membranes.

    • Yihang Wang
    • , Zeka Chen
    •  & Wubin Bai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ajmaline is an antiarrhythmic monoterpenoid indole alkaloid produced by the root of Rauwolfia serpentina. Here, the authors complete the ajmaline biosynthetic pathway by identifying two reductases and two esterases, and achieve the de novo ajmaline biosynthesis by engineering Baker’s yeast.

    • Jun Guo
    • , Di Gao
    •  & Yang Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In vivo manipulation of the dynamics of nanoparticles’ is essential for disease-specific imaging and therapy, but tends to involve complex design processes. Here, the authors report a strategy for manipulating the assembly of nanoparticles in vivo through a self-catalysis-instructed dimerization of tyrosine, offering convenient fabrication, high reaction specificity and biocompatibility.

    • Mengmeng Xia
    • , Qiyue Wang
    •  & Daishun Ling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cellular heterogeneity in cell populations of isogenic origin is driven by diverse factors such as nutrient availability and interactions with neighbouring cells. Here, Hu et al. study plasmid retention dynamics in yeast populations, and show that the exchange of complementary metabolites between plasmid-carrying prototrophs and plasmid-free auxotrophs allows the latter to proliferate in selective environments.

    • Kevin K. Y. Hu
    • , Ankita Suri
    •  & Victoria S. Haritos

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Homing-based gene drives are novel interventions promising the area-wide, species-specific genetic control of harmful insect populations. Here the authors demonstrate the feasibility of a gene drive approach for the genetic control of the agricultural pest, the medfly, based on complete female-to-male sex conversion.

    • Angela Meccariello
    • , Shibo Hou
    •  & Nikolai Windbichler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sponges, being early-diverging metazoans and the only animals to develop extensive skeletons of silica, have potential to inform about the evolutionary steps of metazoan traits, including biomineralization. Here, the authors characterize two proteins associated with the hexactinellid sponge silica.

    • Katsuhiko Shimizu
    • , Michika Nishi
    •  & Manuel Maldonado

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Protein corona is crucial for the safety and efficacy of nanomedicines, and the protein composition of the corona layer is typically analysed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Here the authors report that the use of a uniform database search provides an opportunity for taking measures in good practice and quality control in protein corona research using mass spectroscopy technique.

    • Hassan Gharibi
    • , Ali Akbar Ashkarran
    •  & Morteza Mahmoudi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Membrane-decorated nanomedicines often suffer from reduced efficacy caused by membrane artefacts during the coating process. Here the authors show that intracellularly gelated macrophages preserve membrane properties, stay stable under ambient temperature, and show therapeutic effects in murine models of joint and lung inflammation.

    • Cheng Gao
    • , Qingfu Wang
    •  & Ruibing Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Identifying tissue structure in large-scale spatial omics datasets from multiple slices is challenging. Here, authors present MENDER, an optimisation-free spatial clustering method that can scale to million-level spatial data, enabling efficient analysis of spatial cell atlases.

    • Zhiyuan Yuan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Xanthohumol is a prenylated flavonoid produced by hops and is an important flavor substance in beer. Here, the authors engineer brewing yeast for the de novo biosynthesis of xanthohumol from glucose by balancing the three parallel biosynthetic pathways.

    • Shan Yang
    • , Ruibing Chen
    •  & Yongjin J. Zhou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A pro-tumorigenic role of iRhom1 has been described in several cancer types. Here the authors show that iRhom1 regulates sensitivity to chemotherapy and immune response, as well they report that CD44 targeting nanoparticle-mediated co-delivery of iRhom1 pre-siRNA promotes anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical cancer models.

    • Zhangyi Luo
    • , Yixian Huang
    •  & Song Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The functional heterogeneity of autophagy in endothelial cells during angiogenesis remains incompletely understood. Here, the authors apply a 3D angiogenesis-on-a-chip coupled with single-cell RNA sequencing to find distinct autophagy functions in two different endothelial cell populations during angiogenic sprouting.

    • Somin Lee
    • , Hyunkyung Kim
    •  & Noo Li Jeon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Precise coupling of different or even contradictory material properties and biological characteristics is needed for tissue engineering but challenging. Here the authors report an all-in-one guided bone regeneration membrane that asymmetrically combines stiffness and flexibility, ingrowth barrier and ingrowth guiding, alongside anti-bacteria and cell-activation.

    • Shuyi Wu
    • , Shulu Luo
    •  & Yan Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although artificial skins can facilitate the healing of damaged skin, the restoration of tactile functions remain a challenge. Here, Kang et al. report an artificial skin with an implantable tactile sensor that can simultaneously replace the tactile function by nerve stimulation and promote skin regeneration.

    • Kyowon Kang
    • , Seongryeol Ye
    •  & Youngmee Jung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Achieving organoleptic properties of conventional meat is important for cultured meat production. Here, the authors demonstrate that the texture, flavor, and nutritional content of cultured meat can be significantly enhanced by regulating cell differentiation inside hydrogel scaffolds.

    • Milae Lee
    • , Sohyeon Park
    •  & Jinkee Hong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Scalability of mechanoporation strategies for intracellular delivery remains challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate a microfluidic approach for delivering mRNA and CRISPR-Cas systems to over 250 million cells per minute.

    • Derin Sevenler
    •  & Mehmet Toner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microbial communities are the siege of complex metabolic interactions including cooperation and competition. Here, the authors report the utilization of optogenetics and spatial light-patterning to activate the expression of the invertase SUC2 at selected locations and selectively switch cooperation and competition roles of the yeast cells.

    • Matthias Le Bec
    • , Sylvain Pouzet
    •  & Pascal Hersen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Automated and non-invasive mammalian cell analysis is currently lagging behind due to a lack of methods suitable for a variety of cell lines and applications. Here the authors develop a high throughput non-invasive method for tracking suspension and adhesion mammalian cell growth based on plate reader measures to characterize engineered cell lines.

    • Alice Grob
    • , Chiara Enrico Bena
    •  & Francesca Ceroni

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here the authors demonstrate that the frequency of HDR in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells is increased by the delivery of an inhibitor of 53BP1 as a recombinant peptide. This approach is applicable for a variety of therapeutically relevant loci in HSPCs as well in other primary human cell types.

    • Ron Baik
    • , M. Kyle Cromer
    •  & Matthew H. Porteus

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