bims-livmat 2026-05-31 papers

ACS Synth Biol. 2026 May 28.

De Novo Engineered Living Materials via Elastin-Like Polypeptide-Mediated Self-Assembly.

Sarah B Browning, Davide Prati, Luca Mascia, Paolo Magni, Lorenzo Pasotti, Sara Molinari.

De novo engineered living materials (ELMs) are cellular systems that self-assemble into macroscopic structures through genetically encoded interactions, offering a route to programmable materials grown directly from living cells. Despite their promise, the molecular design principles that enable scalable self-assembly in de novo ELMs remain poorly understood. Here, we engineer Escherichia coli to display elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs), transforming single cells into self-assembling living materials. By tuning the polarity of ELP sequences, we generate assemblies spanning micrometer- to centimeter-length scales that sediment within a few hours while preserving cellular metabolic activity. We demonstrate the portability of this platform across genetic backgrounds and inducible expression systems and deploy it in an ethanologenic E. coli strain as a proof of principle. In small-scale fermentation settings, ELP-based ELMs enable controllable flocculation, reduce filtration time by more than 3-fold, and maintain ethanol production performance comparable to that of the parental strain. Together, this work establishes ELP surface display as a modular strategy for constructing de novo engineered living materials and defines initial genetic design rules linking molecular-scale interactions to emergent macroscopic organization.

Keywords: Escherichia coli; bacterial self-assembly; elastin-like polypeptides; engineered living materials; flocculation; surface display

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.6c00073

Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2026 May 29. pii: S1367-5931(26)00050-5. [Epub ahead of print]93 102701

Synthetic DNA circuits for programming cell functions.

Miao Wang, Wenfeng Tang, Siqi Jiang, Ping Wei.

Synthetic biology aims to re-engineer living cells into autonomous computational chassis capable of executing sophisticated biological tasks. Within this framework, programmable nucleic acid-based logic networks have emerged as a versatile molecular control layer for constructing intelligent cellular systems, offering unparalleled precision, orthogonality, and interoperability. Here, we highlight recent advances in molecular programming, focusing on the integration of synthetic DNA circuits within cellular environments to achieve logic-gated control of cellular functions. We first delineate the fundamental building blocks-including strand displacement, logic gates, amplifiers and neuromorphic architectures-and then examine strategies for interfacing these components with endogenous pathways. The field is currently witnessing a paradigm shift from ex vivo demonstration to in situ functional implementation, driven by the maturation of nucleic acid-based engineering within synthetic biology. Ultimately, these programmable molecular controllers enable the rational design of cellular behaviors, paving the way for next-generation precision therapeutics and autonomous biomanufacturing.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2026.102701

Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2026 May 29.

Polymer-Based and Biomaterial Encapsulation of Probiotics for Improved Viability.

Esther Eghogho Omoathebu, Great Iruoghene Edo, Joshua Othuke Orogu, Musa A Said, Raghda S Makia, Ephraim Evi Alex Oghroro, Joseph Oghenewogaga Owheruo, Emad Yousif, Agatha Ngukuran Jikah, Ufuoma Augustina Igbuku, Arthur Efeoghene Athan Essaghah, Ibiyinka Agboola Fuwape, Maryam Rabiu Aliyu, Huzaifa Umar, Dina S Ahmed, Ahmed A Alamiery.

This review paper examines various polymers and biomaterials used for probiotic encapsulation, with particular emphasis on how these materials aid in improving probiotic viability. Probiotics are living microorganisms that offer the host a number of beneficial health effects when given in the right amounts to the targeted area of the digestive tract. Despite the array of promised health benefits, the functionality of these probiotics depends on their retaining viability and sufficient cell concentrations at the point of ingestion and digestion. However, a number of factors can compromise the viability of these probiotics, such as pH fluctuations, temperature extremes, oxygen content, flavored additives, moisture activity, packaging and storage conditions. Encapsulation, which is the process of entrapping one substance into another substance, has emerged as an effective strategy to overcome the difficulties associated with preserving probiotic viability. It shields probiotics from extrinsic stressors, while enhancing their stability and promoting efficient delivery to the gut. Probiotic viability during processing, storage, and digesting is ensured by the robust defense against external stressors provided by the polymers and biomaterials utilized to encapsulate these organisms. Their adaptable nature enables incorporation into diverse food systems, such as drinks, baked products, and plant-based formulations, helping to meet the increasing consumer interest in gut health-oriented functional foods. Some biomaterials can also serve as prebiotics, enhancing the proliferation of these beneficial microorganisms. This review aims to highlight the main polymers and biomaterials employed in probiotic encapsulation, with emphasis on how they enhance the stability, functionality, and overall viability of probiotic cells.

Keywords: Biomaterials; Encapsulation; Polymers; Probiotics; Viability

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-026-11067-x

Cell Prolif. 2026 May 26. e70224

Co-Culture of Mammalian Cells and Photosynthetic Microorganisms for Oxygen Supply in Engineered Tissues.

Meng Wang, Ahmad Furqan Hala, Vera van der Niet, Sebastian T Bok, Aylin Kara Özenler, Marcel Janssen, Maria J Barbosa, Dirk Martens, Rene H Wijffels, Jos Malda, Mylène de Ruijter.

Ensuring an adequate supply of oxygen remains a significant challenge in the development of large engineered tissue constructs in the field of tissue engineering. To address this, novel strategies have recently been introduced, including the incorporation of photosynthetic microorganisms into engineered tissues. However, to take the full advantage of this co-culture approach, careful selection of photosynthetic microorganisms and a better understanding of their long-term interactions with mammalian cells are required. Here, we first examined the effects of continuous 28-day light exposure on the proliferation and biofunctionality of mammalian cells. We observed that articular cartilage-derived chondroprogenitor cells (ACPCs) did better withstand light exposure under chondrogenic conditions than mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Next, four different photosynthetic microorganisms, capable of growing at 37°C, were co-cultured with cartilage cells. Among them, Leptolyngbya sp. (Leptolyngbya) and Synechococcus sp. (Synechococcus) did not compromise the morphology and chondrogenic capacity of mammalian cells in vitro over 28 days, whereas Chlorella sorokiniana (Chlorella) inhibited chondrogenesis. This inhibition might due to excessive oxygen release by Chlorella in chondrogenic culture medium, as Leptolyngbya and Synechococcus did not produce detectable oxygen under the same culture conditions. To further explore their potential for oxygen delivery to other tissue-derived cells, we also assessed the growth rate and oxygen production of these four microorganisms in different mammalian cell culture media. We found that the composition, especially the presence of trace elements in tissue medium, critically influenced oxygen production. The tested microorganisms were able to grow and release oxygen in different mammalian cell culture media typically used for the propagation of cardiac, cartilage and liver cells, highlighting their flexible metabolic pathways across the different environments. This study emphasizes the importance of carefully selecting photosynthetic microorganisms for different tissue types, ensuring a balance between oxygen production and the specific nutritional demands of mammalian cells.

Keywords: cartilage; cyanobacteria; mammalian cells; microalgae; tissue engineering

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cpr.70224

Adv Sci (Weinh). 2026 May 27. e75865

Engineered Optogenetic Circuits In Yeast with Self-Sustained Outputs.

Cong Fan, Haofeng Chen, Yan Wang, Junyi Wang, Yueyang Chen, Yang Zhang, Jinting Guan, Jifeng Yuan.

Optoswitches are of particular interest to the metabolic engineering community, as light has a superior advantage of tunability and reversibility. However, the light-shading effect at industrial scales remains an unsolved challenge. Here, we report optogenetic quorum-sensing (OptoQS) circuits to induce and maintain a sustained gene expression at the population level by transient light stimulation. In particular, we reprogram the pheromone-responsive G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling cascade in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to effectively record transient light inputs. Once the transient light input is recorded as a form of α-factor accumulation, the surrogate messenger can diffuse and transmit the signal across the cell population. Eventually, we successfully demonstrated the utility of the OptoQS circuit for metabolic regulation of 3-hydroxypropionate biosynthesis. Based on the promising results from OptoQS circuits, we envision that the flexibility of our design might be explored for the future fabrication of various genetic circuits to record other transient physical stimuli.

Keywords: genetic circuits; optogenetics; quorum‐sensing; surrogate messenger; synthetic biology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.75865

Trends Biotechnol. 2026 May 28. pii: S0167-7799(26)00188-5. [Epub ahead of print]

Self-driving medicine: closed-loop therapeutics for autonomous disease control.

Gokberk Unal, Martin Fussenegger.

Closed-loop gene circuits are paving the way toward self-driving medicine: therapeutics that continuously sense physiological signals, compute responses, and autonomously tune therapeutic output. Yet clinical practice still relies largely on open-loop dosing and static interventions that are inherently blind to real-time fluctuations in disease dynamics. Since Paracelsus, medicine has recognized that dose governs both efficacy and toxicity, but closed-loop therapeutics now redefine dose as a continuously computed response to physiology rather than as a fixed schedule. Enabled by synthetic biology, feedback-controlled therapeutics can be built from modular sensors, processors, and effectors to maintain homeostasis around defined physiological setpoints, moving therapy beyond intermittent interventions toward continuous sensing and adaptive control.

Keywords: cell and gene therapy; feedback control; gene circuits; synthetic biology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2026.05.003