A recent study coordinated by the MP2Lab team was published in ACS Applied Nano Materials: Natural Slab Photonic Crystals as Biogenic, Customizable Nanomaterial for Label-Free Detection. The study shows that nanostructures from diatoms can rival synthetic materials in precision sensing. Using slab photonic crystal properties of the diatom girdle band, the team achieved label-free detection of key analytes. This work points to eco-friendly, locally sourced nanomaterials as a resilient alternative to global supply chains.