The translocation of nanomaterials or complex delivery systems into the cytosol is a major challenge in nanobiotechnology. After receptor-mediated endocytosis, most nanomaterials are sequestered and undergo degradation, therapy inactivation, or exocytosis. Herein we explore a novel surface particle coating made of adsorbed carbon nanotubes that provides coated materials with new properties that reproduce the viral cell-invasive mechanisms, namely, receptor-mediated endocytosis, endolysosomal escape, and cytosolic particle release preserving cell viability. This novel biomimetic coating design will enable the intracytoplasmic delivery of many different functional materials endowed with therapeutic, magnetic, optical, or catalytic functionalities, thus opening the door to a wide array of chemical and physical processes within the cytosolic or nuclear domains, and supporting new developments in the biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are likely to transform the therapeutic and diagnostic fields in biomedicine during the coming years. However, the fragmented vision of their side effects and toxicity in humans has proscribed their use as nanomedicines. Most studies agree that biocompatibility depends on the state of aggregation/dispersion of CNTs under physiological conditions, but conclusions are confusing so far. This study designs an experimental setup to investigate the cytotoxic effect of individualized multiwalled CNTs compared to that of identical nanotubes assembled on submicrometric structures. Our results demonstrate how CNT cytotoxicity is directly dependent on the nanotube dispersion at a given dosage. When CNTs are gathered onto silica templates, they do not interfere with cell proliferation or survival becoming highly compatible. These results support the hypothesis that CNT cytotoxicity is due to the biomimetics of these nanomaterials with the intracellular nanofilaments. These findings provide major clues for the development of innocuous CNT-containing nanodevices and nanomedicines.

Myceliophthora thermophila laccase was covalently immobilized on functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) arranged over a supporting membrane to obtain a permeable bio-barrier that could be applied in multibatch or continuous processes.

How would you describe to the layperson the most significant result of this study? Shaped through time, enzymes are engineered catalysts of excellence. However,t heir performance can be seriously affected when out of their natural biological context. In this work, we propose the implementation of ah ybrid nanocarrier as an im-mobilization support to endow enzymes with ar emarkably enhanced stability and recycling performance when exposed to unfavorable environments. The relevance of this synthetic strategyl ies in its potentiala pplicability to ag reat variety of catalysts and biocatalysts liable to decompositionu nder harsh reactionconditions. What future opportunities do you see in the light of the results presented in this paper? Functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be internalized by aw ider ange of cells because of their ability to cross the cyto-plasmicm embrane. Keepingt his in mind, CNT-based anem-one-likeplatforms are likely to provide an efficient way to cata-lyze chemical reactions inside particularc ells or perform intra-The front cover artwork for Issue 07/2016 is provided by TeamNanoTech (TNT),t he Magnetic Materials Group (MMG), and Bioengineering &S ustainable Processes (BIOSUV) at Universidaded eV igo (Spain), and the Institute of Nanoscience of Aragón (INA) at Universidadd eZ aragoza(Spain). The image illustrates an ovel multifunctional nanoplatform featuring ah igh enzyme loading capacitya nd remarkable recycling capabilities as an effective means to circumvent the limitations that hinder the implementation of enzymesinindustrial biotechnology (image credit:M iguel Spuch-Calvar). See the Communication itself at http://dx.

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The translocation of nanomaterials or complex delivery systems into the cytosol is a major challenge in nanobiotechnology. After receptor‐mediated endocytosis, most nanomaterials are sequestered and undergo degradation, therapy inactivation, or exocytosis. Herein we explore a novel surface particle coating made of adsorbed carbon nanotubes that provides coated materials with new properties that reproduce the viral cell‐invasive mechanisms, namely, receptor‐mediated endocytosis, endolysosomal escape, and cytosolic particle release preserving cell viability. This novel biomimetic coating design will enable the intracytoplasmic delivery of many different functional materials endowed with therapeutic, magnetic, optical, or catalytic functionalities, thus opening the door to a wide array of chemical and physical processes within the cytosolic or nuclear domains, and supporting new developments in the biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries.

How would you describe to the layperson the most significant result of this study?Shaped through time, enzymes are engineered catalysts of excellence. However,t heir performance can be seriously affected when out of their natural biological context. In this work, we propose the implementation of ah ybrid nanocarrier as an immobilization support to endow enzymes with ar emarkably enhanced stability and recycling performance when exposed to unfavorable environments. The relevance of this synthetic strategyl ies in its potentiala pplicability to ag reat variety of catalysts and biocatalysts liable to decompositionu nder harsh reactionconditions.What future opportunities do you see in the light of the results presented in this paper?

The Front Cover illustrates a hierarchically structured nanoplatform involving a hybrid carbon nanotube‐based magnetic nanocomposite as an enzyme support. In their Communication, E. González‐Domínguez et al. describe how great enhancements in the biocatalytic activity of Laccase (10 fold) can be attained even under fully denaturing environments. Furthermore, this nanocarrier allows for a straightforward recovery and reuse of the enzyme with no loss of activity after 10 successive runs. This class of multifunctional architectures is expected to be of great value in the near future in order to overcome the current limitations that hinder the practical use of enzymes in industrial biotechnology. More information can be found in the Communication by E. González‐Domínguez et al. on page 1264 in Issue 7, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201501401).