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Millennia of evolution have honed the intricate pattern of nerves and neurons throughout the body. But if neurons grow in an entirely novel living structure, can they still organise into functional tissue and influence behaviour? This fundamental question about neural flexibility is being addressed by researchers interested in building living machines: tissue-based robots, research organoids, and engineered biological devices in search and service of novel treatments and better health for all. A team developed tiny living ‘biobots’ from frog embryo tissue, and implanted neural precursor cells (pictured, coloured blue to yellow according to depth within the bot; complete view, left, and with some detail stripped back to reveal neuron-like fibres, right). The implanted cells matured into neurons, extended projections through the bot, and were associated with changes in shape, movement, gene expression, and drug responses, offering clues to how neural tissue might organise and function inside engineered living systems.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Image from work by Haleh Fotowat and colleagues
• Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Advanced Science, February 2026