Reviews & Analysis

A universal ‘add-on’ method based on the ultrafast and localized deposition of polydopamine amplifies the sensitivity of a variety of bioassays for clinical diagnostics.

This Review discusses advances in implantable biomaterials that mimic the pre-metastatic niche and regulate the behaviour of tumour cells at the implant site, and their prospects for the detection of metastasis and for therapeutic interventions.

High-frame-rate, high-resolution photoacoustic computed tomography reveals, for small live animals, the brain's functional connectivity and the dynamics of breathing, blood oxygenation and circulating melanoma cells.

A system consisting of an aptamer-based microfluidic biosensor and a simple feedback-control algorithm adjusts therapeutic dosing in near real time in small animals.

The efficient generation of mature podocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells makes possible the recapitulation of renal blood filtration on a chip.

Optoacoustic mesoscopy promises to be a fast and reliable non-invasive method for the diagnosis of psoriasis.

An intracortical brain–computer interface combined with functional electrical stimulation allows an individual with traumatic spinal cord injury to perform coordinated reaching and grasping movements.

Pancreatic cysts can be detected via the optical-scatter patterns of these submicroscopic sack-like pockets of tissue.

Optical probes that are activated only in the tumour microenvironment dramatically improve the sensitivity of cancer detection.

Functionalized quantum dots emitting short-wavelength infrared light enable small-animal imaging with deep penetration, high spatial resolution and fast acquisition speeds.

Two approaches for quantifying extracellular vesicles in blood samples facilitate the search for highly specific cancer biomarkers.

A fluorescent peptide that blocks the dimerization of a protein associated with the Epstein–Barr virus enables the imaging and growth inhibition of tumours attributed to the pathogen.

Carbon nanotubes enable the optical detection of nucleic acids in biofluids.

An implantable soft robotic sleeve restores circulation and muscle function in infarcted pig hearts.

A biosensing device that harvests energy from fluids in the gut is able to wirelessly transmit measurements from the gastrointestinal tract of pigs for over six days.

A silicon dioxide passivation layer dramatically lengthens the operational lifetime of flexible electronic arrays for cardiac electrophysiology.

Extracorporeal cross-circulation between lungs enables the extended support of recipient lungs and the recovery of injured lungs in a swine model.

A microfluidic device that integrates mechanical squeezing and electrical stimulation delivers DNA to the nucleus of cells at a rate of millions of cells per minute.

Phased-array antennas that conform to body surfaces efficiently transfer electromagnetic energy to miniaturized semiconductor devices implanted in pigs.

This Perspective puts forward the concept of medical-device-on-a-chip, that is, a microphysiological system that leverages organ-on-a-chip technology for the development and testing of medical devices.