bims-livmat Biomed News
on Living materials
Issue of 2025–04–27
two papers selected by
Sara Trujillo Muñoz, Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien
  1. Living therapeutics: Precision diagnosis and therapy with engineered bacteria.
  2. Dual carbon sequestration with photosynthetic living materials.
  1. Biomaterials. 2025 Apr 15. pii: S0142-9612(25)00261-3. [Epub ahead of print]321 123342
    Living therapeutics: Precision diagnosis and therapy with engineered bacteria.
    Ruyan Xie, Duoyang Fan, Xiang Cheng, Ying Yin, Haohan Li, Seraphine V Wegner, Fei Chen, Wenbin Zeng.
      Bacteria-based therapy has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment, offering the potential for targeted tumor delivery, immune activation, and modulation of the tumor microenvironment. However, the unpredictable behavior, safety concerns, and limited efficacy of wild-type bacteria pose significant challenges to their clinical translation. Recent advancements in synthetic biology and chemical engineering have enabled the development of precisely engineered bacterial platforms with enhanced controllability, targeted delivery, and reduced toxicity. This review summarize the current progress of engineered bacteria in cancer therapy. We first introduce the theoretical underpinnings and key advantages of bacterial therapies in cancer. Subsequently, we delve into the applications of genetic engineering and chemical modification techniques to enhance their therapeutic potential. Finally, we address critical challenges and future prospects, with a focus on improving safety and efficacy. This review aims to stimulate further research and provide valuable insights into the development of engineered bacterial therapies for precision oncology.
    Keywords:  Cancer therapy; Delivery system; Engineering bacteria; Living therapeutics; Tumor targeting
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123342
  2. Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 23. 16(1): 3832
    Dual carbon sequestration with photosynthetic living materials.
    Dalia Dranseike, Yifan Cui, Andrea S Ling, Felix Donat, Stéphane Bernhard, Margherita Bernero, Akhil Areeckal, Marco Lazic, Xiao-Hua Qin, John S Oakey, Benjamin Dillenburger, André R Studart, Mark W Tibbitt.
      Natural ecosystems efficiently sequester CO2 but containing and controlling living systems remains challenging. Here, we engineer a photosynthetic living material for dual CO2 sequestration that leverages biomass production and insoluble carbonate formation via microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP). To achieve this, we immobilize photosynthetic microorganisms within a printable polymeric network. Digital design and fabrication of the living structures ensure sufficient light access and nutrient supply to encapsulated cyanobacteria, enabling long-term culture for over a year. We showcase that photosynthetic living materials are able to sequester 2.2 ± 0.9 mg of CO2 per gram of hydrogel material over 30 days and 26 ± 7 mg of CO2 over 400 days. These findings highlight the potential of photosynthetic living materials for scalable, low-maintenance carbon sequestration with applications in carbon-neutral infrastructure and CO2 mitigation.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58761-y
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