Nano-enabled Living Materials and Living Electronics: A Roadmap for Innovation and Impact

Abstract Vertical nanoprobes[1,2] — nanoneedles[3–5], nanostraws[6–8], nanopillars[9–11], and FluidFM cantilevers[12] — are emerging as powerful tools enabling nonperturbing interrogation and manipulation to achieve cell-material integration. 
By establishing responsive bio-nano interfaces, vertical nanoprobes provide an avenue to integrate functionality such as continuous intracellular monitoring through longitudinal biosampling and electrical recording, and control over individual cell fate through precise intracellular delivery and biophysical stimulation. This capability is essential to engineer living materials[2], through integration with cells, organoids, tissues, and organisms.
We survey the state-of-the-art in the use of vertical nanoprobes for cell integration and outline a technology roadmap towards living materials, including key challenges: scalable and bio-compatible manufacturing, meaningful design for diverse and complex systems, seamless functionality integration and establishment of active/living material behaviour.
Looking forward, we foresee engineered hybrid bio–nanomaterials whose functionality arises from the dynamic cell behaviour enabled by integrated monitoring and reprogramming. This approach to bridging nanotechnology with living matter unlocks transformative opportunities across biomedical, biomanufacturing and environmental applications.