Recent progresses in materials design, synthesis and characterization, together with emerging methods for device fabrication and system assembly, have lead to high performance photonic materials, devices, and systems in bio-adaptable and/or bio-compatible formats, thereby enabling advanced bio-related photonic platforms. In this feature issue, 10 papers represent the most recent progress in various aspects of bio-inspired and bio-integrated materials from silicon, perovskites and organics, devices like photodetectors, plasmonic sensors and light emitters, and their diverse applications in areas including sensing, prosthesis and therapy. Although this feature issue only provides a glimpse of the vast field of bio-related photonics, we hope that it can offer a guideline for researchers involved in this emerging area.