How Nano technology Is Rewriting Human Biology | Dr Ciro Chiappini

In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, Dominic James is joined by Dr Ciro Chiappini, a Reader at King’s College London and a pioneer in nanomaterials with five international patents. Together, they explore how nanotechnology is giving us unprecedented access to the inner workings of human biology, enabling us to sense, diagnose, and influence cellular behaviour at the molecular level.

The Chiappini Lab engineers millions of “nano‑needles” a thousand times thinner than a human hair. These structures can enter cells without damaging them, allowing researchers to deliver edited genes, extract molecular information without a biopsy, and monitor disease in ways that were previously impossible. At this scale, materials behave in extraordinary ways e.g. gold, for example, changes colour depending on particle size. These unusual properties are opening the door to new sensing and diagnostic technologies.

The potential patient impact is profound. Nano‑enhanced bandages could deliver corrective genes directly into the wounds of children with epidermolysis bullosa. Non‑invasive molecular sampling could spare cancer patients from repeated biopsies. And targeted nanoscale delivery systems could make gene therapies safer, more precise, and more accessible. This is medicine operating at the smallest possible scale with the power to transform lives.