Smart nanocarrier: self-assembly of bacteria-like vesicles with photoswitchable cilia.

Bioinspired cell deformation aids in the design of smart functional molecular self-assemblies. We report on a system of bacteria-like vesicles which release entrapped drug upon developing hairs triggered by UV irradiation, just like cilia stretching from the surface of bacteria. The formation of cilia leads to a less intact membrane, which allows release of entrapped drug. This bioinspired design created a smart nanocarrier that releases the payload via deformation rather than complete breaking.