bims-livmat Biomed News
on Living materials
Issue of 2026–07–05
eight papers selected by
Sara Trujillo Muñoz, Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien
  1. Correction to "Living Therapeutic Microneedles Integrated with Built-In Metabolic Engines for Autonomous Diabetic Wound Management".
  2. Polysaccharide-Based Encapsulation of Microbes for Enhanced Microbial Therapy.
  3. Optimizing 3D-printed core-shell hydrogel system for probiotic protection: stability under in vitro digestion conditions and during storage.
  4. Living sensors: Engineering plants to sense and report on their environments.
  5. Off‑the‑shelf, engineered non-living stem cell strategy for advancing cellular therapies.
  6. Programming Bio-Bio Electronic Interfaces for Light-Driven Interspecies Electron Transfer.
  7. Zein-Ceria Hybrid Microparticles Enable Long-Term ROS-Scavenging Oxygenation for Osteogenic Microtissues Engineering.
  8. From reconstruction to intervention: Engineered organoids as living therapeutic depots.
  1. Nano Lett. 2026 Jun 30.
    Correction to "Living Therapeutic Microneedles Integrated with Built-In Metabolic Engines for Autonomous Diabetic Wound Management".
    Caihong Chen, Haoyu Gong, Biao Yang, Runxin Teng, Jiamin Zhang, Chun Yang, Beibei Zhang, Jianhua Li, Hongru Qiang, Jiaxi Xu, Zhen Fan, Chang Li, Jianzhong Du.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c02893
  2. Polym Sci Technol. 2026 Jun 23. 2(6): 347-364
    Polysaccharide-Based Encapsulation of Microbes for Enhanced Microbial Therapy.
    Ying Wang, Zheng Zhu, Mian Chen, Jinyao Liu.
      The application of living microorganisms as therapeutics holds considerable potential but faces dual challenges of overcoming physiological barriers and host immune clearance. This review summarizes innovative encapsulation strategies using polysaccharide polymers to address these challenges. It begins by introducing encapsulation-compatible microbial taxa and the properties of major polysaccharide classes, including cationic, anionic, gel-forming, and neutral. Then, the review elaborates on two core functionalization strategies, namely non-covalent and covalent modification. It further analyzes key functions provided by polysaccharide encapsulation, such as protective effects, immunomodulation, targeted delivery, and synergistic therapy. Representative applications in treating tumors, bacterial infections, and inflammatory bowel diseases are summarized. Lastly, current challenges and future directions are discussed to guide the development of next-generation safe and effective microbial living therapeutics. This review positions polysaccharide-based encapsulation as a versatile platform for augmenting the therapeutic functionality of living microbial therapeutics.
    Keywords:  biomaterials; microbial encapsulation; polysaccharides; probiotics; synergistic therapy; targeted delivery
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/polymscitech.5c00138
  3. J Biol Eng. 2026 Jun 27.
    Optimizing 3D-printed core-shell hydrogel system for probiotic protection: stability under in vitro digestion conditions and during storage.
    Que-Anh Truong-Le, Sun-Ok Lee, Ali Ubeyitogullari.
      This study aimed to develop a novel pH-sensitive core-shell delivery system to improve probiotics' viability during simulated digestion and storage. A 10-strain premix of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium was encapsulated within a pregelatinized starch-based gel core, while alginate/pectin (Al/P) gel was employed as the shell using a 3D food printing (3DFOODP) process. The survival rates indicated that the 3DFOODP process did not compromise probiotic viability. To evaluate efficacy, a long-term storage stability study was conducted over a 33-day period under 4 °C and 23 °C, and at 50 °C for 2 h. Storage at 4 °C was most favorable, maintaining a survival rate of 64.37% after 33 days. In contrast, unencapsulated probiotics exhibited significantly reduced viability, falling below 5% by day 18 at 4 °C (3.55%) and by day 15 at 23 °C (2.75%), and reaching negligible survival by the end of the 33-day storage period. Under simulated digestion, the retention of encapsulated probiotics was 97.22% in the oral phase, 83.33% under gastric conditions, and 82.70% in the intestinal phase. Conversely, unencapsulated probiotics showed 93.62%, 10.92%, and 6.30% retention, respectively. These findings provided strong evidence supporting the protective function of the core-shell gel system, thereby facilitating the targeted functionality and colonization.
    Keywords:  3D food printing; Core-shell delivery system; Probiotics; Storage stability; Targeted release; Viability
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13036-026-00722-0
  4. Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2026 Jul 02. pii: S1369-5266(26)00066-X. [Epub ahead of print]92 102923
    Living sensors: Engineering plants to sense and report on their environments.
    Wesley George, Ian Wheeldon, Sean Cutler.
      Plants have long served as natural indicators of environmental conditions, and recent advances in synthetic biology are enabling the design of engineered sentinels - living sensors that can report on abiotic and biotic stressors. This review summarizes recent advances in designing sensor plants, also called phytosensors or sentinel plants, highlighting three major strategies: (1) exploiting native promoter systems responsive to environmental cues, (2) engineering protein-based genetically encoded biosensors that detect specific molecules of interest, and (3) constructing interkingdom signaling networks between plants and microbes to extend sensing capabilities to the rhizosphere. These sense-response modules can be coupled to optical reporters (e.g., fluorescence, bioluminescence, and pigment-based) that enable remote detection via drones and satellite imaging. Continued improvements in promoter design, receptor modularity, and signal visualization technologies are driving the development of robust, field-deployable plant biosensors. Together, these innovations position engineered sensor plants as scalable, self-sustaining sentinels for real-time environmental monitoring and land management.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2026.102923
  5. Nat Biomed Eng. 2026 Jun 29.
    Off‑the‑shelf, engineered non-living stem cell strategy for advancing cellular therapies.
    Tiep Tien Nguyen, Nhu-Nam Nguyen, Linh Nguyen, Kim-Phuong Phan, Junhyeung Park, Jong-Hyuk Sung, Simmyung Yook, Hu-Lin Jiang, Jee-Heon Jeong.
      Non-living cell therapeutics have become crucial for treating diverse disease conditions. However, ineffective manufacturing processes, significant cellular content loss and structural damage reduce therapeutic efficacy. Here we present a translational approach for designing 'off-the-shelf' highly efficient active lyophilized tannic-acid-engineered non-living cells (HealTEC) with distinct features. Our strategy is customizable and integrates cellular function enhancement, high-dose tannic acid-induced cell inactivation, low-temperature cellular matter condensation and advanced lyophilization. By leveraging it, we engineer mesenchymal stem cell-derived HealTEC as a bio-reservoir platform, enabling formulations enriched in immunomodulatory factors for ulcerative colitis, enriched in angiogenic factors for hindlimb ischaemia or loaded with drug nanoparticles for asthma. Importantly, the HealTEC formulations exhibit high therapeutic stability after long-term storage at mild conditions. Furthermore, HealTEC injections induce much lower immunogenicity than living cell injections, both in the short term and long term. HealTEC technology presents the potential for upscaling cell manufacture, commercialization and reshaping worldwide clinical demands.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-026-01697-5
  6. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2026 Jun 30. e8664414
    Programming Bio-Bio Electronic Interfaces for Light-Driven Interspecies Electron Transfer.
    Lancheng Wang, Peng Chen, Yujie Wang, Chi Hu.
      Living systems organize electron flow through continuous, spatially and energetically structured redox networks, whereas most synthetic light-driven bioelectronic platforms rely on abiotic materials to generate and inject electrons into cells, limiting selective coupling between living partners. Here, we report programmable living electronic interfaces that enable direct, light-driven interspecies electron transfer (IET) between two living microorganisms. A conformal poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) network integrated into the envelope of Synechococcus elongatus intercepts and relays photosynthetic electron flux, while supramolecular cucurbit[7]uril host-guest interactions program defined cell-cell assembly with engineered Escherichia coli. Redox-active mediators embedded within the interface establish energetically matched electron-transfer pathways across species boundaries. Redox-potential matching identifies neutral red as an optimal mediator, enabling selective delivery of photosynthetic electrons into E. coli with an IET efficiency of 83.7%, thereby enhancing light-driven biocatalysis. This work establishes an integrated bio-bio electronic architecture that embeds electronic conduction within living redox networks, defining a paradigm for constructing light-powered microbial consortia distinct from conventional abiotic-bio hybrid systems.
    Keywords:  conductive polymer; host–guest interaction; interspecies electron transfer; redox mediators; sustainable biocatalysis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.8664414
  7. Adv Mater. 2026 Jul 01. e73849
    Zein-Ceria Hybrid Microparticles Enable Long-Term ROS-Scavenging Oxygenation for Osteogenic Microtissues Engineering.
    Hayeon Byun, Seok Gyu Han, Niels Willemen, Eunji Park, Kannan Govindaraj, Seol-Ha Jeong, Oju Jeon, Eben Alsberg, Jeroen Leijten, Heungsoo Shin, Su Ryon Shin.
      Oxygen- and biological cue-deprived microenvironments formed during tissue regeneration severely limit cell survival and differentiation, resulting in long-term structural and functional deficits. However, conventional oxygen-releasing biomaterials often exhibit burst releases, with the vast majority of oxygen released during the first few days, which is associated with high levels of concomitant reactive oxygen species (ROS)-derived oxidative stress and a lack of bioactive factors. Here, we report a hierarchically engineered zein-ceria hybrid microparticle that enables sustained ROS-neutral oxygenation for over 40 days and supplies an osteoinductive factor. A hydrophobic zein core stabilizes the oxygen source and suppresses burst release, while a ceria nanozyme-integrated shell continuously scavenges excess ROS via redox cycling. Biocompatible surface engineering enables the seamless integration of these microparticles within stem cell spheroids, which markedly enhances cell survival under anoxia. Their biofunctional surface supports enzymatic protein immobilization under physiological conditions, enabling spontaneous osteogenesis of engineered bone microtissues. In a severely oxygen-deprived mouse calvarial defect model, the engineered microtissues accelerated bone regeneration. Our biomaterial design enables control of burst oxygen release, ROS modulation, and growth factor release, built on a zein-ceria double-layer architecture, offering a modular platform that broadens the utility of oxygenating and bioactive micromaterials in regenerative medicine.
    Keywords:  ceria; osteogenesis; osteoinductive factor; oxygenating micromaterials; regenerative medicine; zein
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.73849
  8. Cell Stem Cell. 2026 Jul 02. pii: S1934-5909(26)00207-9. [Epub ahead of print]33(7): 1060-1061
    From reconstruction to intervention: Engineered organoids as living therapeutic depots.
    Lu Wang, Yan Pang, Jinyao Liu.
      Wang et al. engineer mammary organoids as anticancer drug-secreting depots that inhibit post-surgical tumor recurrence and regenerate functional mammary gland tissue.1 This work extends the therapeutic utility of organoids beyond tissue reconstruction into living therapeutic depots, establishing a strategy to exploit intrinsic physiological processes of the organoids for therapeutic intervention.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2026.05.015
This page is being maintained by Thomas Krichel. It was last updated on 2026‒07‒06 at 7:04.