Reviews & Analysis

The implementation of one-carbon (C1) biomanufacturing is limited to laboratory or pilot scales. Here, the authors highlight the economic and technical challenges associated with scaling up C1 biomanufacturing and propose strategies to address these challenges.

Enzymatic depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) towards monomer recycling is a promising strategy for a bio-based circular plastic economy, but progress is limited by the lack of standard guidelines for assessing and comparing the depolymerization efficiency catalysed by various PET hydrolases. In this Perspective, the authors identify critical research gaps in sourcing novel PET hydrolases and specify crucial requirements for selecting and optimizing them for specific application scenarios.

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) has transformed our knowledge of tissue biology through the examination of gene expression in cells within their tissue context. This review aims to categorise methods that combine ST with tissue morphology, focusing on either translating or integrating morphological features into ST analyses.

In the coming years, crystallographic fragment-screening campaigns will deliver massive amounts of data and challenge existing practices and resources. In the article, options are explored for how best to preserve these data for the community to support further research and developments.

Effective energy management is key to cutting emissions, surpassing technology-focused solutions alone. Integrating technical and social strategies enhances efficiency, with nine social constructions shaping operations, processes, and knowledge. Broad adoption could reduce global industrial CO₂ emissions by at least 5%.

Dormancy enables microbes to withstand periods of environmental harshness. It occurs throughout diverse ecosystems and spans vast timescales, and could play an important role in shaping the co-evolution of Earth’s biosphere and geosphere.

Clusteroluminescence from non-conjugated and nonemissive molecules is an area of increasing interest. Here, the authors consider the development of the field, as well as potential future directions.

Collaborative self-diving research is crucial to research acceleration amidst ever more complex problems. Here, authors identify the key challenges to the dual cultivation of centralised self-driving user facilities and networks of self-driving labs.

In preclinical research, there is a persistent sex bias where research is conducted with a single sex. Here, the authors present a Sex Inclusive Research Framework that provides a traffic light classification of research proposals to facilitate robust assessment and promote equitable sex inclusion

Neuromorphic processors for commercial success require facing challenges in methods for programming neuromorphic applications and deployment at scale. Here, the authors discuss the pathways towards widespread consumer adoption of neuromorphic technology in relation to academia and industry.

The scale of global environmental challenges requires a multi-pronged approach, which utilises all the technologies at our disposal. Here, authors provide their perspective on the potential of engineering biology for environmental biotechnology, summarizing their thoughts on the key challenges and future possibilities for the field.

Desiccation tolerance is an extreme adaptation to water limitation. Here the authors envisage a roadmap to advance desiccation tolerance research, highlight key knowledge gaps, call for standardization, and explore potential applications in conservation, medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.

Large-scale biobanks have become a font of data that have led to discoveries across many fields of research. Here, the authors provide an overview of the Estonian Biobank, highlighting its value for research and towards personalized medicine.

Nanopore electrical detection has shown potential in sensing subtle protein and peptide conformation changes, and its sensitivity makes it promising for point-of-care applications. In this Review, the authors discuss the capability of nanopore sensing for detecting and quantifying conformational modifications and enantiomers in biomarker proteins and peptides, as well as the practicalities and challenges for this approach to be used for clinical and point-of-care diagnosis.

Recent years have seen an increasing shift from centralized laboratory diagnostics to decentralized point-of-care testing, a shift which has the potential to increase health equity. Here the authors provide their perspective on how the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence with point-of-care technologies can - and could - support this transition

The nexus of biotechnology, information technology, nanotechnology and engineering is at the heart of innovation. Here the authors explore breakthroughs in integrating chip technology and bioinformational processing for this emerging interface of bio-inspired engineering and engineering-enabled biology.

For decades, research on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia has lacked a unified framework. This Perspective explores the convergence of key amyloid protein oligomerization processes that drive neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular damage, aiming to advance effective diagnosis and treatment of amyloid diseases.

In situ and operando techniques are useful towards mechanistic investigations of electrocatalytic systems but must be carried out and interpreted properly. Here, the authors provide a set of guidelines for best practices in the use these methods.

Climate change and extreme weather events will influence migration patterns. However, it is important that our policies do not forget about those who are immobile to migration. This perspective explores different forms of involuntary immobility and how climate policy can address this.

In the era of climate change, human societies face growing exposure to disasters and complex climate risks. This perspective explores the transformative potential of integrated Artificial Intelligence in developing multi-hazard Early Warning Systems for all.