Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00498-4Global access to diagnostics is constrained not only by the availability of testing technologies but also by their dependence on costly supply chains that typically originate from a small number of capital-intensive biotechnology hubs. Here, we argue that integrating decentralized diagnostics with local manufacturing and research capacity is essential to building resilient, equitable and sustainable diagnostic ecosystems.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00495-7Artificial intelligence (AI) and, in particular, machine learning (ML) are being explored in the development of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, from formulation design to preclinical evaluation. This Review discusses how ML can predict nanoparticle properties, identify optimal formulations, discover new excipients and forecast biological and therapeutic outcomes by integrating complex datasets.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00498-4Global access to diagnostics is constrained not only by the availability of testing technologies but also by their dependence on costly supply chains that typically originate from a small number of capital-intensive biotechnology hubs. Here, we argue that integrating decentralized diagnostics with local manufacturing and research capacity is essential to building resilient, equitable and sustainable diagnostic ecosystems.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00495-7Artificial intelligence (AI) and, in particular, machine learning (ML) are being explored in the development of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, from formulation design to preclinical evaluation. This Review discusses how ML can predict nanoparticle properties, identify optimal formulations, discover new excipients and forecast biological and therapeutic outcomes by integrating complex datasets.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 14 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00493-9Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) is emerging as a key mechanism in cancer, linking biomolecular condensates to oncogenic signalling and tumorigenesis. This Review discusses evidence for dysregulated LLPS and highlights bioengineering strategies that enable therapeutic targeting of previously undruggable cancer drivers.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 14 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00493-9Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) is emerging as a key mechanism in cancer, linking biomolecular condensates to oncogenic signalling and tumorigenesis. This Review discusses evidence for dysregulated LLPS and highlights bioengineering strategies that enable therapeutic targeting of previously undruggable cancer drivers.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 10 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00487-7Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape clinical trials, addressing challenges in design, recruitment, monitoring and conduct. This Review outlines a framework built on deeply phenotyped cohorts, validated surrogate end points, digital twins and agentic AI systems that could shorten timelines and support the trial life cycle, highlighting opportunities to accelerate drug development while maintaining rigorous regulatory and benefit–risk assessment.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 09 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00490-yAt Nature Reviews Bioengineering, most of our content is commissioned. However, we also consider carefully developed proposals — but only if they follow a certain structure and approach. Here is how to pitch a Review that could capture our attention.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 10 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00487-7Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape clinical trials, addressing challenges in design, recruitment, monitoring and conduct. This Review outlines a framework built on deeply phenotyped cohorts, validated surrogate end points, digital twins and agentic AI systems that could shorten timelines and support the trial life cycle, highlighting opportunities to accelerate drug development while maintaining rigorous regulatory and benefit–risk assessment.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 09 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00490-yAt Nature Reviews Bioengineering, most of our content is commissioned. However, we also consider carefully developed proposals — but only if they follow a certain structure and approach. Here is how to pitch a Review that could capture our attention.

At Nature Reviews Bioengineering, most of our content is commissioned. However, we also consider carefully developed proposals — but only if they follow a certain structure and approach. Here is how t...

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 07 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00496-6Multi-organ-on-chip systems have not yet delivered the integrated models for drug development and disease modelling the field had once anticipated. As organoid-on-chip technology matures, building multi-organ-on-chip systems from a single pluripotent stem cell source, rather than assembling them from separately cultured mature tissues, could make physiological integration possible.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 07 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00492-wOpioid overdose remains a major cause of preventable death, particularly in solitary cases, motivating the development of closed-loop opioid overdose reversal (CLOOR) systems. This Perspective outlines the key scientific, technological, regulatory and translational challenges facing CLOOR technologies, highlighting crucial gaps, such as limited clinical evidence, lack of validated biomarkers, and issues of acceptability and implementation.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 07 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00496-6Multi-organ-on-chip systems have not yet delivered the integrated models for drug development and disease modelling the field had once anticipated. As organoid-on-chip technology matures, building multi-organ-on-chip systems from a single pluripotent stem cell source, rather than assembling them from separately cultured mature tissues, could make physiological integration possible.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 07 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00492-wOpioid overdose remains a major cause of preventable death, particularly in solitary cases, motivating the development of closed-loop opioid overdose reversal (CLOOR) systems. This Perspective outlines the key scientific, technological, regulatory and translational challenges facing CLOOR technologies, highlighting crucial gaps, such as limited clinical evidence, lack of validated biomarkers, and issues of acceptability and implementation.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 31 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00477-9Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are central mediators of intercellular communication. This Review reframes EVs by spatial distribution and function, distinguishing liquid-phase EVs, which disseminate through biofluids and enable systemic signalling, from matrix-bound EVs that are retained within the extracellular matrix and mediate localized, tissue-specific communication, evaluating their properties, functions and translational potential.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 31 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00477-9Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are central mediators of intercellular communication. This Review reframes EVs by spatial distribution and function, distinguishing liquid-phase EVs, which disseminate through biofluids and enable systemic signalling, from matrix-bound EVs that are retained within the extracellular matrix and mediate localized, tissue-specific communication, evaluating their properties, functions and translational potential.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 27 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00494-8Spinal motor neurons offer a window into the neural control of movement, combining large-scale observability, physiological interpretability and direct coupling to behaviour. Population-scale recordings could transform human physiology from hypothesis-by-hypothesis investigation into artificial intelligence-driven discovery of general principles, while establishing a new foundation for scalable, physiologically grounded neural interfaces.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 27 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00494-8Spinal motor neurons offer a window into the neural control of movement, combining large-scale observability, physiological interpretability and direct coupling to behaviour. Population-scale recordings could transform human physiology from hypothesis-by-hypothesis investigation into artificial intelligence-driven discovery of general principles, while establishing a new foundation for scalable, physiologically grounded neural interfaces.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00476-wThis Review surveys machine learning methods, including surrogate modelling, generative design and active learning loops, for predicting and optimizing properties across metals, polymers, hydrogels, ceramics and biological biomaterials. Additionally, key datasets, challenges (such as data scarcity, heterogeneity and interpretability) and future autonomous discovery pipelines are outlined.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 24 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00470-2Multicellular assemblies can be programmed to exhibit emergent behaviours that make them promising therapeutic tools, particularly for tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. This Review outlines the design principles, biological advantages and translational requirements for engineering hierarchical cellular assemblies with programmable functions and emphasizes the need for benchmarking them against single-cell and biomaterial-based approaches.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00476-wThis Review surveys machine learning methods, including surrogate modelling, generative design and active learning loops, for predicting and optimizing properties across metals, polymers, hydrogels, ceramics and biological biomaterials. Additionally, key datasets, challenges (such as data scarcity, heterogeneity and interpretability) and future autonomous discovery pipelines are outlined.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 24 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00470-2Multicellular assemblies can be programmed to exhibit emergent behaviours that make them promising therapeutic tools, particularly for tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. This Review outlines the design principles, biological advantages and translational requirements for engineering hierarchical cellular assemblies with programmable functions and emphasizes the need for benchmarking them against single-cell and biomaterial-based approaches.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 17 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00485-9Temperature is an underutilized parameter in nanopore sensing, yet it strongly influences electrolyte properties as well as biomolecular stability, folding and transport. Here, we explore how temperature can be harnessed as an active design parameter to advance nanopore technologies.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 17 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00485-9Temperature is an underutilized parameter in nanopore sensing, yet it strongly influences electrolyte properties as well as biomolecular stability, folding and transport. Here, we explore how temperature can be harnessed as an active design parameter to advance nanopore technologies.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 14 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00491-xBioengineers can repurpose the underlying physical principles of classic toys to create highly effective, ultra-low-cost biomedical tools. Embracing this frugality can democratize cutting-edge science and increase the accessibility of healthcare in low-resource settings.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00483-xCold chains are essential to food security and global health. At NanoFreeze, a Colombian start-up, we are developing a sustainable cold-chain preservation and energy-efficient refrigeration technology based on a bacterial ice-nucleation protein. Here, we reflect on how intellectual property, regulatory validation and strategic partnerships shaped our path from biological insight to translation in an emerging economy.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00484-wHealth technologies are typically judged by their technical maturity rather than their ability to improve patient care. As a result, many innovations achieve technological success but fail to reach routine clinical use. Here, we propose clinical translation readiness levels to assess whether health technologies are truly ready for adoption, implementation and patient benefit.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00489-5Fibrosis is a major cause of organ dysfunction and mortality, yet current therapies rarely reverse established disease. Biomaterials offer new opportunities to locally modulate tissue-specific repair environments and guide healing away from scar formation and toward regeneration.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 14 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00491-xBioengineers can repurpose the underlying physical principles of classic toys to create highly effective, ultra-low-cost biomedical tools. Embracing this frugality can democratize cutting-edge science and increase the accessibility of healthcare in low-resource settings.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00483-xCold chains are essential to food security and global health. At NanoFreeze, a Colombian start-up, we are developing a sustainable cold-chain preservation and energy-efficient refrigeration technology based on a bacterial ice-nucleation protein. Here, we reflect on how intellectual property, regulatory validation and strategic partnerships shaped our path from biological insight to translation in an emerging economy.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00489-5Fibrosis is a major cause of organ dysfunction and mortality, yet current therapies rarely reverse established disease. Biomaterials offer new opportunities to locally modulate tissue-specific repair environments and guide healing away from scar formation and toward regeneration.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00486-8Ukraine is experiencing an unprecedented burden of major limb loss within a health system strained by war. As an expert in prosthetics and neurorehabilitation and full-time volunteer in wartime Ukraine, I share my experience of how recovery extends beyond prosthetic technology alone and depends on appropriate and timely care, continuity of rehabilitation, and trained personnel. Bioengineering influences not only devices but also how care is delivered under constrained conditions.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-62801-yModel-free multiparametric analysis of SHG images reveals collagen signatures in breast cancer

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-66901-7Development of samarium-153 oxide loaded polystyrene radiotracer particles for gamma scintigraphy of whole gastrointestinal transit study

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1057/s41599-026-08691-xService trade liberalization and manufacturing value chain upgrading: a quasi-natural experiment from China

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-66659-yExperiences of kinesiophobia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative phenomenological study

Cell-based and computational platforms have emerged as powerful tools for modelling human biology and disease in physiologically relevant contexts, ...

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 12 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00486-8Ukraine is experiencing an unprecedented burden of major limb loss within a health system strained by war. As an expert in prosthetics and neurorehabilitation and full-time volunteer in wartime Ukraine, I share my experience of how recovery extends beyond prosthetic technology alone and depends on appropriate and timely care, continuity of rehabilitation, and trained personnel. Bioengineering influences not only devices but also how care is delivered under constrained conditions.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00473-zHuman cell-based 3D models hold promise for preclinical research as new approach methodologies, but realizing their translational potential will require moving beyond legacy culture systems and towards bioengineering-guided design to improve reproducibility, scalability and relevance.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00479-7Acoustofluidics is emerging as a versatile platform for clinical diagnostics and therapy, enabling real-time, label-free sensing, manipulation and control of biological and chemical systems across scales. This Review discusses translational progress across key medical workflows, highlights challenges in standardization and integration, and outlines pathways from proof-of-concept devices to clinically deployable systems.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00473-zHuman cell-based 3D models hold promise for preclinical research as new approach methodologies, but realizing their translational potential will require moving beyond legacy culture systems and towards bioengineering-guided design to improve reproducibility, scalability and relevance.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00479-7Acoustofluidics is emerging as a versatile platform for clinical diagnostics and therapy, enabling real-time, label-free sensing, manipulation and control of biological and chemical systems across scales. This Review discusses translational progress across key medical workflows, highlights challenges in standardization and integration, and outlines pathways from proof-of-concept devices to clinically deployable systems.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 07 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00475-xDesign failures often result not from technical flaws but from a lack of consideration into how, why and by whom a technology will be used. Human-centred design prioritizes collaboration with user communities to develop adoptable technologies, ultimately saving time and resources.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 07 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00475-xDesign failures often result not from technical flaws but from a lack of consideration into how, why and by whom a technology will be used. Human-centred design prioritizes collaboration with user communities to develop adoptable technologies, ultimately saving time and resources.

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00468-wStem cell engineering is expanding the scope of cell-based allogeneic immunotherapy beyond conventional peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived approaches. This Review highlights advances in genetic modification and differentiation platforms that enable scalable production of T cells, natural killer cells and macrophages with enhanced functionality, safety and immune tolerance, and discusses emerging clinical evidence and therapeutic potential.