Abstract: The present invention generally relates to nanowires and, in some aspects, to methods of using nanowire arrays to identify a therapeutic target for treating a disorder in a subject, identify a treatment for a disorder in a subject, or deliver a biological effector to immune cells. Previous techniques for delivering biological effectors into live immune cells yielded low efficiencies, activated the immune response and induced non-specific inflammation, and/or required harsh conditions that resulted in widespread apoptosis. By contrast, some of the methods described herein are capable of efficiently delivering biomolecular cargo into immune cells, have negligible toxicity, do not activate immune cell function, and/or allow cells to respond appropriately to physiological stimuli.