bims-livmat 2025-10-26 papers

Adv Mater. 2025 Oct 25. e02728

Gradients of Aliveness and Engineering: A Taxonomy of Fungal Engineered Living Materials.

Elise Elsacker, Jara Saluena Martin, Annah-Ololade Sangosanya, Anouk Verstuyft, Aurélie Van Wylick, Eveline Peeters.

Filamentous fungi offer unique potential for engineered living materials (ELMs), enabling self-assembling, adaptive, and sustainable biofabrication. However, the field lacks a systematic framework to classify fungal ELMs, as they vary in biological state (dead, dormant, or living), scaffold composition, and degree of engineering intervention. Here, a classification system is introduced to categorize fungal ELMs, enabling researchers to map existing studies and guide future development. The ability to form resilient 3D networks make filamentous fungi ideal for applications ranging from self-healing composites to materials for bioremediation and real-time sensing, as demonstrated in proof-of-concept applications. A roadmap for next-generation fungal ELMs is outlined, including spatial-temporal control of fungal states, multispecies integration for enhanced complexity, and computational modeling for predictive design. Key challenges, such as contamination control, cell viability, and bio-digital integration, are discussed alongside strategies for genetic engineering. Finally, ethical and environmental considerations are emphasized as crucial factors for the responsible scaling of fungal ELMs.

Keywords: biodesign; biofabrication; engineered living materials (ELMs); filamentous fungi; mycelium materials; taxonomical framework

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202502728

Adv Healthc Mater. 2025 Oct 24. e03630

Living Materials Approach for In Situ Bio-Polymers Production Using Bacillus Paralicheniformis in Microneedles.

Caroline Hali Alperovitz, Noa Ben David, Adi Gross, Boaz Mizrahi.

Living biomaterials, which integrate live organisms with traditional macromolecular scaffolds, function as "live manufacturers" capable of sensing their environment, synthesizing, and releasing biomolecules while remaining stable under physiological conditions. While systems that produce small biomolecules continue to advance, in situ production and secretion of high-molecular-weight biopolymers remain relatively underexplored. Here, a microneedle (MN) patch system is presented encapsulating Bacillus paralicheniformis (B. paralicheniformis) - a non-pathogenic, Gram-positive bacterium known for its production of γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA). The MNs are designed to painlessly penetrate the stratum corneum and reach the dermis. Bacteria are uniformly distributed within the patch, and their presence has minimal impact on the microneedles' morphology and mechanical integrity. Upon application, B. paralicheniformis is released from the MNs and successfully produced γ-PGA, with molecular weights ranging from 64 to 563 kDa. Growth studies revealed that Luria-Bertani (LB) medium supports optimal bacterial proliferation, while E medium enhances γ-PGA biosynthesis. In vivo studies confirmed that B. paralicheniformis colonized mouse skin following MN administration and secreted γ-PGA without eliciting toxicity or inflammatory responses. Given the increasing therapeutic use of biopolymers and proteins for treating chronic and acute skin conditions, this living bacterial delivery system offers a promising platform for sustainable and symbiotic dermal therapies.

Keywords: PGA; PVA; PVP; bacillus paralicheniformis; living materials; microneedles

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202503630

Small. 2025 Oct 24. e08741

Preparation of Living Material with Metal-Organic Frameworks and Bacteria for the Design of Electrochemical Biosensor to Detect Exosomes.

Haojie Xie, Lin Wang, Gaoxiang Wang, Ying Deng, Xiafei Hu, Yifan Lin, Dongmei Zhang, Tao Gao, Ping Xie, Genxi Li.

As a new generation of intelligent materials, living materials composed of biological elements and non-living matrix may integrate the characteristics of both, so they have received more and more attention. However, their application to biosensor development is insufficient, especially the living materials prepared with bacteria and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Herein, an electroactive bacterium (Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, S.oneidensis) and one kind of MOFs (Cu-TCPP) are adopted in this work to prepare an electroactive living material, which is further used to design and fabricate an electrochemical biosensor. It is found that the integration of Cu-TCPP with S.O. can facilitate electrochemical signal output, which may be attributed to synergy effects between S.O. and Cu-TCPP. Furthermore, the living material is explored to bind with aptamers for the electrochemical detection of targets. Taking the analysis of exosomes as an example, the fabricated biosensor can detect exosomes in the range of 1.38 × 103-1.38 × 107 particles mL-1, with the detection limit of 659 particles mL-1, without the requirement of a signal amplification strategy, thus proposing a way of living material-based biosensor fabrication.

Keywords: bacteria; biosensor; exosome; living materials; metal–organic framework

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202508741

Acta Pharm Sin B. 2025 Oct;15(10): 5167-5191

Progress and challenges of functionalized bacterial encapsulation: A novel biotechnology for next-generation biotherapeutics.

Ying Zhang, Yuwei Wu, Xinyu Zhao, Qinghua Ye, Lulu Cao, Ming Liu, Bao Gao, Qinya Niu, Nuo Chen, Zixuan Duan, Yu Ding, Juan Wang, Moutong Chen, Ying Li, Qingping Wu.

The disturbance of the human microbiota influences the occurrence and progression of many diseases. Live therapeutic bacteria, with their genetic manipulability, anaerobic tendencies, and immunomodulatory properties, are emerging as promising therapeutic agents. However, their clinical applications face challenges in maintaining activity and achieving precise spatiotemporal release, particularly in the harsh gastrointestinal environment. This review highlights the innovative bacterial functionalized encapsulation strategies developed through advances in physicochemical and biological techniques. We comprehensively review how bacterial encapsulation strategies can be used to provide physical barriers and enhanced adhesion properties to live microorganisms, while introducing superior material properties to live bacteria. In addition, this review outlines how bacterial surface coating can facilitate targeted delivery and precise spatiotemporal release of live bacteria. Furthermore, it elucidates their potential applications for treating different diseases, along with critical perspectives on challenges in clinical translation. This review comprehensively analyzes the connection between functionalized bacterial encapsulation and innovative biomedical applications, providing a theoretical reference for the development of next-generation bacterial therapies.

Keywords: Covalent modification; Functionalized bacterial encapsulation; Gastrointestinal environment; Immunomodulation; Live therapeutic bacteria (LTBs); Precise release; Self-assembly; Targeted delivery

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.07.028