Editorial: Design and bioapplication of nanozymes

Nanozymes, nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like catalytic activities, have rapidly evolved into a versatile class of functional materials with broad biomedical relevance (Zhang et al., 2024;Zhang et al., 2025). Advances in materials chemistry, nanotechnology, and biomedicine have enabled increasingly sophisticated nanozyme designs with enhanced catalytic performance and expanded application scopes (Tian et al., 2025). Rational nanozyme engineering and its translation into antibacterial therapy, biosensing, and disease diagnostics have attracted growing interest (Jiang et al., 2019;Chen et al., 2023). Accordingly, this Research Topic "Design and Bioapplication of Nanozymes" was established to highlight recent progress at the interface of nanozyme design and biological applications, with an emphasis on precision, intelligence, and clinical relevance.The contributions collected in this Research Topic collectively reflect the current landscape of nanozyme research, emphasizing rational design, mechanistic understanding, and application-oriented innovation. Together, they illustrate the evolution of nanozymes from simple enzyme mimics into versatile biofunctional platforms.A key theme highlighted in this Topic is the use of nanozymes as alternatives to conventional antibiotics to address the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Wang et al. Taken together, the contributions in this Research Topic highlight several unifying themes: rational nanozyme design remains central to achieving high catalytic efficiency and functional specificity; nanozyme bioapplications are increasingly advancing from proof-of-concept studies toward disease-relevant and clinically meaningful scenarios; and interdisciplinary integration, particularly with DNA nanotechnology and machine learning, is reshaping nanozyme discovery and optimization. Despite these advances, key challenges remain, including improving substrate specificity, ensuring long-term biosafety, elucidating in vivo catalytic behavior, and establishing standardized evaluation protocols. Addressing these issues will require continued interdisciplinary collaboration.In conclusion, Design and Bioapplication of Nanozymes offers a timely overview of a rapidly evolving field. We hope this Research Topic informs readers of recent progress and inspires further innovation toward intelligent, precise, and translational nanozyme technologies. We thank all contributing authors and reviewers for their valuable efforts and anticipate that nanozymes will play an increasingly important role in future bioanalytical and biomedical applications.