Research / Biointerface Engineering

Biointerface Engineering

How cells sense and respond when they touch a nanostructure, and how to design that contact.

When a cell meets a surface covered in nanoneedles, its membrane, cytoskeleton and signalling all respond. Understanding this biointerface is what lets us design materials that deliver cargo efficiently while leaving cells healthy.

We have shown that nanoneedles modulate endocytosis to deliver biological payloads (Advanced Materials, 2019) and stimulate the cell’s mechanotransduction machinery (ACS Nano, 2019), and we have reviewed design principles for vertical nanoprobes (Nature Reviews Materials, 2022).

We also use light: porous silicon nanoparticles act as safe photosensitisers for spatially-resolved transfection of organoids (Advanced Materials, 2024).

False-coloured electron micrograph of a gold cell spreading over blue nanoneedles.

Recent publications

Mechanical insights into regulation of bio–nano interactions for lipid-based nanocarriers

Yang F, Wang Y, Lu Y, Lin L, Wang Y, Sun X, Liu M, Chiappini C, Wang Y-F, Liang X-J

Discover Nano · 2026 · vol. 21, no. 1 · Open access version

Nano-enabled living materials and living electronics: a roadmap for innovation and impact

Tian B, Sha B, Jiang Y, Nandakumar A, Ezerins A, Kim SS, Cohen-Karni T, Jiao Y, Zhang A, Wang Y, Guo Y, …, Minev IR

Nano Futures · 2026 · vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 022001

Immune reprogramming of 3D tumor models via optoporation-mediated targeted gene delivery to macrophages

Poljak I, Hussein IN, Gu C, Giustarini G, Teng X, Toyama Y, Chiappini C, Adriani G

PreprintbioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2026

Caveolar Endocytosis Governs Nanoneedle Transfection

Sun N, Wang C, Wang Y, Edwards W, Dimitrievska M, Li Y, Vasovic N, McLennan S, Zhu H, Mäkilä E, Salonen J, …, Chiappini C

ACS Nano · 2026 · vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 4663–4676 · Open access version

Nanoneedles enable spatiotemporal lipidomics of living tissues

Gu C, Martella DA, Rose LA, Rouatbi N, Wang C, Zam A, Caprettini V, Jensen M, Liu S, Hagemann C, Memdouh S, …, Chiappini C

Nature Nanotechnology · 2025 · Open access version

Nanoneedle-Based Electroporation for Efficient Manufacturing of Human Primary Chimeric Antigen Receptor Regulatory T-Cells

Sun N, Wang C, Edwards W, Wang Y, Lu X, Gu C, McLennan S, Shangaris P, Qi P, Mastronicola D, Scottà C, …, Chiappini C

Advanced Science · 2025 · vol. 12, no. 21, pp. 2416066 · Open access version

Porous Silicon Nanoneedles Efficiently Deliver Adenine Base Editor to Correct a Recurrent Pathogenic COL7A1 Variant in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Mustfa SA, Dimitrievska M, Wang C, Gu C, Sun N, Romańczuk K, Karpinski P, Łaczmański Ł, McGrath JA, Jacków-Malinowska J, Chiappini C

Advanced Materials · 2025 · vol. 37, pp. e2414728

Spatially-Resolved Organoid Transfection by Porous Silicon-Mediated Optoporation

Spiteri C, Caprettini V, Wang Y, Dominguez-Gil S, Kaasalainen M, Wang C, Martella DA, McLennan S, Vashisth P, Gary-Bobo M, Nguyen C, …, Chiappini C

Advanced Materials · 2024 · vol. 36, no. 49, pp. 2407650 · Open access version

All Biointerface Engineering publications