Biomimetic particles as therapeutics

•Engineering particle material, size, and shape enables enhanced biomimicry.•Particles with paracrine delivery of soluble mediators mimic secretory cells.•Artificial cell membranes mimic the surface chemistry of cells and viruses.•Particles can be coated with naturally derived cell membranes for cell mimicry.

In recent years, there have been major advances in the development of novel nanoparticle- and microparticle-based therapeutics. An emerging paradigm is the incorporation of biomimetic features into these synthetic therapeutic constructs to enable them to better interface with biological systems. Through the control of size, shape, and material consistency, particle cores have been generated that better mimic natural cells and viruses. In addition, there have been significant advances in biomimetic surface functionalization of particles through the integration of bio-inspired artificial cell membranes and naturally derived cell membranes. Biomimetic technologies enable therapeutic particles to have increased potency to benefit human health.