Although nanotechnology often addresses biomedical needs, nanoscale tools can also facilitate broad biological discovery. Nanoscale delivery, imaging, biosensing, and bioreactor technologies may address unmet questions at the interface between chemistry and biology. Currently, many chemical biologists do not include nanomaterials in their toolbox, and few investigators develop nanomaterials in the context of chemical tools to answer biological questions. We reason that the two fields are ripe with opportunity for greater synergy. Nanotechnologies can expand the utility of chemical tools in the hands of chemical biologists, for example, through controlled delivery of reactive and/or toxic compounds or signal-binding events of small molecules in living systems. Conversely, chemical biologists can work with nanotechnologists to address challenging biological questions that are inaccessible to both communities. This Perspective aims to introduce the chemical biology community to nanotechnologies that may expand their methodologies while inspiring nanotechnologists to address questions relevant to chemical biology.

尽管纳米技术通常满足生物医学需求，但纳米级工具也可以促进广泛的生物学发现。纳米级递送、成像、生物传感和生物反应器技术可以解决化学和生物学之间未解决的问题。目前，许多化学生物学家并没有在他们的工具箱中加入纳米材料，也很少有研究人员在化学工具的背景下开发纳米材料来回答生物学问题。我们认为这两个领域的时机已经成熟，可以发挥更大的协同作用。纳米技术可以扩大化学生物学家手中化学工具的效用，例如，通过控制递送活性和/或有毒化合物或生命系统中小分子的信号结合事件。反过来，化学生物学家可以与纳米技术专家合作，解决两个社区都无法解决的具有挑战性的生物学问题。该观点旨在向化学生物学界介绍纳米技术，这些纳米技术可以扩展他们的方法，同时激发纳米技术专家解决与化学生物学相关的问题。