Engineered cells have opened up a new avenue for scientists and engineers to achieve specialized biological functions. Nanomaterials, such as silicon nanowires and quantum dots, can establish tight interfaces with cells either extra- or intracellularly, and they have already been widely used to control cellular functions. The future exploration of nanomaterials in cellular engineering may reveal numerous opportunities in both fundamental bioelectric studies and clinic applications. In this review, we highlight several nanomaterials-enabled non-genetic approaches to fabricating engineered cells. First, we briefly review the latest progress in engineered or synthetic cells, such as protocells that create cell-like behaviors from nonliving building blocks, and cells made by genetic or chemical modifications. Next, we illustrate the need for non-genetic cellular engineering with semiconductors and present some examples where chemical synthesis yields complex morphology or functions needed for biointerfaces. We then provide discussions in detail about the semiconductor nanostructure-enabled neural, cardiac, and microbial modulations. We also suggest the need to integrate tissue engineering with semiconductor devices to carry out more complex functions. We end this review by providing our perspectives for future development in non-genetic cellular engineering.

中文翻译：

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用于生物电研究的纳米细胞工程


工程细胞为科学家和工程师实现专门的生物功能开辟了新途径。纳米材料，例如硅纳米线和量子点，可以在细胞外或细胞内与细胞建立紧密的界面，并且它们已经被广泛用于控制细胞功能。细胞工程中纳米材料的未来探索可能会在基础生物电研究和临床应用方面揭示大量机会。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了几种利用纳米材料的非遗传方法来制造工程细胞。首先，我们简要回顾了工程或合成细胞的最新进展，例如从非生命构建块创建类似细胞行为的原始细胞，以及通过遗传或化学修饰制成的细胞。接下来，我们说明了对半导体非遗传细胞工程的需求，并提供了一些化学合成产生生物界面所需的复杂形态或功能的例子。然后，我们详细讨论了半导体纳米结构支持的神经、心脏和微生物调节。我们还建议需要将组织工程与半导体器件集成以执行更复杂的功能。我们通过提供我们对非遗传细胞工程未来发展的看法来结束本次审查。