This study presents a novel fiber‐optic surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) probe (SERS‐on‐a‐tip) fabricated using a simple, two‐step protocol based on off‐the‐shelf components and materials, with a high degree of controllability and repeatability. Two‐photon polymerization and subsequent metallization are adopted to fabricate a range of SERS arrays on both planar substrates and end‐facets of optical fibers. For the SERS‐on‐a‐tip probes, a limit of detection of 10⁻⁷ m (Rhodamine 6G) and analytical enhancement factors of up to 1300 are obtained by optimizing the design, geometry, and alignment of the SERS arrays on the tip of the optical fiber. Furthermore, strong repeatability and consistency are achieved for the fabricated SERS arrays, demonstrating that the technique may be suitable for large‐scale fabrication procedures in the future. Finally, rapid SERS detection of live Escherichia coli cells is demonstrated using integration times in the milliseconds to seconds range. This result indicates strong potential for in vivo diagnostic use, particularly for detection of infections. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this represents the first report of detection of live, unlabeled bacteria using a fiber‐optic SERS probe.

Microrobots hold substantial potential for precision medicine. However, challenges remain in balancing multifunctional cargo loading with efficient locomotion and in predicting behavior in complex biological environments. Here, we present permanent magnetic droplet–derived microrobots (PMDMs) with superior cargo loading capacity and dynamic locomotion capabilities. Produced rapidly via cascade tubing microfluidics, PMDMs can self-assemble, disassemble, and reassemble into chains that autonomously switch among four locomotion modes—walking, crawling, swinging, and lateral movement. Their reconfigurable design allows navigation through complex and constrained biomimetic environments, including obstacle negotiation and stair climbing with record speed at the submillimeter scale. We also developed a molecular dynamics–based computational platform that predicts PMDM assembly and motion. PMDMs demonstrated precise, programmable cargo delivery (e.g., drugs and cells) with postdelivery retrieval. These results establish a physical and in silico foundation for future microrobot design and represent a key step toward clinical translation.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is escalating worldwide, posing a serious threat to global public health by driving infections that are no longer treatable with conventional antibiotics. CRISPR–Cas technology offers a programmable and highly specific therapeutic alternative by directly targeting the genetic determinants responsible for resistance. Various CRISPR systems can restore antibiotic susceptibility and induce selective bactericidal effects by eliminating resistance genes, disrupting biofilm formation, and inhibiting virulence pathways. Moreover, CRISPR can suppress horizontal gene transfer (HGT) by removing mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, thereby limiting the ecological spread of AMR across humans, animals, and the environment. Advances in delivery platforms—including conjugative plasmids, phagemids, and nanoparticle-based carriers—are expanding the translational potential of CRISPR-based antimicrobial strategies. Concurrent progress in Cas protein engineering, spatiotemporal activity regulation, and AI-driven optimization is expected to overcome current technical barriers. Collectively, these developments position CRISPR-based antimicrobials as next-generation precision therapeutics capable of treating refractory bacterial infections while simultaneously suppressing the dissemination of antibiotic resistance.

DNA molecules doped with lanthanide and metal ions possess distinct functionalities, providing a feasibility to be utilised in various applications in nano- and biotechnologies. In the present work, we fabricate DNA thin films doped with seven different lanthanide ions (Ce ³⁺ , Dy ³⁺ , Eu ³⁺ , Gd ³⁺ , Tb ³⁺ , Tm ³⁺ , and Sm ³⁺ ) and four different metal ions (Cu ²⁺ , Ni ²⁺ , Zn ²⁺ , and Co ²⁺ ) by the drop-casting method. In addition, we conduct current, Hall transport, optical transmittance, and Raman spectroscopic measurements to investigate their electrical properties, carrier concentrations and Hall mobilities, optical band gaps, and vibrational and stretching modes, respectively. By analysing the current–voltage characteristics of the doped thin films with varying dopant concentrations, characteristic critical concentrations are observed, which are related to the significant enhancement of the thin film’s physical properties, compared with the pristine DNA. The extrema of the carrier concentrations and Hall mobilities of the doped thin films were observed approximately at the same critical concentrations. The optical band gaps gradually decreased with an increasing dopant concentration, caused by the intrinsic characteristics of both the dopants and DNA. Because of the preference of ions binding to DNA backbones through an electrostatic attraction and to bases via intercalation, the Raman band intensities gradually increase (or decrease) until reaching [Ln] _C (or [M] _C ), where their trend is reversed. Ln-DNA and M-DNA thin films provide significant, specific, and novel physical characteristics which can be used in various applications.

In this article, we demonstrate a plasmo-thermal bacterial accumulation effect using a miniature plasmonic optical fiber. The combined action of far-field convection and a near-field trapping force (referred to as thermophoresis)—induced by highly localized plasmonic heating—enabled the large-area accumulation of Escherichia coli. The estimated thermophoretic trapping force agreed with previous reports, and we applied speckle imaging analysis to map the in-plane bacterial velocities over large areas. This is the first time that spatial mapping of bacterial velocities has been achieved in this setting. Thus, this analysis technique provides opportunities to better understand this phenomenon and to drive it towards in vivo applications.