bims-livmat 2026-08-09 papers

bims-livmat

Biomed News

on Living materials

Issue of 2026–08–09
eight papers selected by
Sara Trujillo Muñoz, Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien

Interactions between fungi, algae, and bacteria: multispecies engineered living materials leverage function and structure.
Engineered microorganisms and nanomaterials in cancer therapy: Emerging hybrid systems and translational challenges.
Can Cells Be Fully Programmed and Engineered?
Engineering integrated drug-device systems for autonomous administration, programmable release, and therapeutic control.
Localized immunomodulation with cytokine-producing cells to mitigate foreign body responses in rodents and a nonhuman primate.
Environmental risk assessment for genetically modified microalgae.
An Injectable Dual Bacterial-Trapping Nanozyme Composite Hydrogel for Synergistic Antibacterial/Anti-Inflammatory Therapy of Endophthalmitis.
Engineered Injectable Hydrogel Platform for Tailoring the Osteoarthritis Microenvironment.

Curr Opin Microbiol. 2026 Aug 05. pii: S1369-5274(26)00100-1. [Epub ahead of print]93 102806

Interactions between fungi, algae, and bacteria: multispecies engineered living materials leverage function and structure.

Marc Kessels Solé, Hannelore Wilssens, Elise Elsacker, Lien De Wannemaeker, Marjan De Mey.

The need for materials that have a limited impact on the environment has led to the development of engineered living materials (ELMs), which integrate living organisms and material applications to generate functional matter. Filamentous fungi offer a promising scaffold to design ELMs, which can be produced from the bottom up, but the possibilities for introducing dynamic functionalities are limited. To solve this, multispecies ELMs can be designed, using bacteria and algae to introduce biological functions in the material. The amenability of bacteria for synthetic biology offers a suitable platform to develop novel functions, while algae can endow the material with photosynthetic properties. Due to the preexisting natural interactions between these organisms and fungi, such as lichens and fungal highways, the establishment of a consortium-based bottom-up ELM becomes feasible. In this review, we summarize the natural mutualistic interactions between fungi, algae, and bacteria and how they can be harnessed for the design and implementation of engineered living materials, using filamentous fungi as their structural backbone. Furthermore, we review the role of such interactions in industrial processes, where they have been engineered for wastewater treatment and biotechnological production. Lastly, we discuss the current challenges of engineered living materials, the advantages of consortia-based solutions, and their future perspectives.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2026.102806
Nanomedicine. 2026 Aug 04. pii: S1549-9634(26)00103-6. [Epub ahead of print]76 103002

Engineered microorganisms and nanomaterials in cancer therapy: Emerging hybrid systems and translational challenges.

Yuxi Cheng, Shenhan Yu, Yingyi Huang, Bin Liu.

  The convergence of synthetic biology and nanotechnology has created new opportunities for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Engineered microorganisms exhibit unique tumor-targeting, colonization, and immunomodulatory capabilities, while nanomaterials provide versatile platforms for drug delivery, imaging, and controlled therapeutic release. This review summarizes recent advances in the application of engineered microorganisms and nanomaterials in oncology, with a focus on their mechanisms of action, therapeutic potential, and translational challenges. We discuss the roles of the tumor microbiome in cancer progression, microbial engineering strategies for tumor targeting and immune regulation, and the development of nanomaterial-based delivery systems and immunotherapies. Particular attention is given to microbe-nanomaterial hybrid platforms, which combine the advantages of both systems to enhance therapeutic efficacy and modulate the tumor microenvironment. Finally, key challenges related to biosafety, biocompatibility, regulatory approval, and clinical translation are highlighted. The integration of engineered microorganisms and nanomaterials represents a promising strategy for next-generation precision oncology and may accelerate the development of more effective and personalized cancer therapies.

Keywords:  Cancer therapy; Drug delivery; Engineered microorganisms; Immunotherapy; Nanomaterials; Tumor microbiome

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2026.103002
Biotechnol Bioeng. 2026 Aug 02.

Can Cells Be Fully Programmed and Engineered?

Walid M El-Sharoud.

  Since its inception, synthetic biology has relied on linear genetic modifications to treat living cells as biological counterparts to silicon microchips and computer-aided manufacturing. This paradigm is deeply rooted in the historical frameworks of Turing, Boole, and von Neumann, whose theoretical models remarkably anticipated the computational nature of the central dogma and native genetic operons. However, forcing living cells to strictly conform to the rigid, deterministic constraints of human software ignores a fundamental architectural disconnect: the dynamic, stochastic reality of the cellular cytoplasm and the higher-order 3D organization of the genome, which frequently lead to context-dependent circuit failures. In this Perspective, I argue that forcing living biology to mimic nonliving silicon machinery is neither biologically rational nor practically aspirational. Instead, the true paradigm of cellular programming and engineering lies in steering biological complexity under predictable rules to achieve capabilities that neither wild cells nor digital computers can fulfill alone-such as cancer-destroying circuits, explosive-detecting plants, and inflammation-recording probiotics. Crucially, this programmable oversight can be reinforced by constructing bio-physical hybrid entities that integrate nonliving materials with living cells. This is already manifested in interfacing organisms with semiconductor shells, silicon nanowires, or intracellular polymer hydrogels to create "cyborg cells" with augmented metabolic or synthetic functions. Ultimately, the future of engineering biology relies on treating life's fluid, dynamic architecture not as a design defect, but as a core computational asset. Aligned with this quest to optimize cell programming and engineering, biosafety approaches like biocontainment must be implemented to mitigate the environmental and ethical risks associated with deploying engineered organisms into ecosystems or human hosts.

Keywords:  3D genome; Alan Turing; Turing machine; Von Neumann; biocontainment; cell biology; cellular automata; computing theory; synthetic biology

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.70331
J Control Release. 2026 Aug 06. pii: S0168-3659(26)00645-0. [Epub ahead of print] 115241

Engineering integrated drug-device systems for autonomous administration, programmable release, and therapeutic control.

Ningye Ma, Yuan Wang, Yitong Wang, Xiaoao Pang, Dapeng Lu, Shizhuo Wang, Hao Ling, Hong Li, Yingying Hao.

  Advanced therapeutics increasingly require precise control over drug transport, barrier penetration, release kinetics, local exposure, and dosing safety to achieve reliable efficacy. However, clinically precise administration often remains dependent on professional operation, which limits the translation of complex therapies into chronic, home-based, or decentralized care. This gap is not simply a problem of patient adherence, but a delivery-science challenge: how to reproduce clinical-grade therapeutic control through systems that can be initiated, maintained, and interpreted outside professional settings. Here, we define integrated drug-device systems (IDDSs) as autonomous therapeutic architectures that embed professional delivery logic into system-controlled platforms. This review reframes these technologies around three engineering pillars: mechanical autonomy, which encodes tissue targeting, barrier bypassing, actuation, and residence into device structures; programmable release, which integrates dosing logic into materials, reservoirs, and responsive architectures to execute predefined or adaptive pharmacokinetic programs; and monitoring-decision integration, which converts administration quality, device performance, and physiological signals into actionable data for feedback-guided management. We further propose a maturity-grading model and an Available-Accessible-Controllable (AAC) framework to evaluate whether integrated drug-device systems can move beyond technical feasibility toward clinically usable, practically accessible, and therapeutically controllable delivery platforms. By organizing autonomous administration, programmable release, and feedback regulation within a unified delivery-science framework, this review provides a roadmap for engineering next-generation drug-device systems that decouple therapeutic precision from professional manual operation and support robust therapeutic control in decentralized environments.

Keywords:  Decentralized precision management; Integrated drug–device systems (IDDSs); Mechanical autonomy; Monitoring–decision integration; Programmable drug delivery

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2026.115241
Sci Adv. 2026 Aug 07. 12(32): eaec7053

Localized immunomodulation with cytokine-producing cells to mitigate foreign body responses in rodents and a nonhuman primate.

Boram Kim, Dilrasbonu Vohidova, Amanda Nash, Yuen San Chan, Samantha Fleury, Shravani Deo, Danna Murungi, Peter D Rios, Ira Joshi, Hafsa Nasir, Daisy Lopez, Mor Sela Golan, Cassidy Hart, Jose Oberholzer, H Courtney Hodges, Omid Veiseh.

The efficacy of cell-based therapeutics is often compromised by host immune recognition of implanted cells and biomaterials, resulting in fibrotic encapsulation and loss of function. Here, we address this challenge with an immunomodulatory cell-based therapy, in which alginate-encapsulated retinal pigment epithelial cells continuously secrete cytokines to locally modulate the implant microenvironment. In a healthy rodent model, the localized production of interleukin-10 (IL-10) or IL-12 from encapsulated cytokine-producing cells prevented foreign body response to alginate capsules. Mechanistically, treatment was associated with reduced expression of profibrotic genes and immune shifts consistent with macrophage and T cell regulation, supporting a cytokine-mediated mitigation of foreign body response. In a diabetic murine model (streptozotocin-induced C57BL/6J), coimplantation of human islets with IL-10-producing cells attenuated pericapsular fibrosis, preserved islet viability, and restored normoglycemia for up to 100 days (4.76 times longer than islets alone). Notably, IL-10-producing cells were also effective in enabling the durability and function of encapsulated cells in a healthy nonhuman primate, showing translational feasibility. Collectively, these findings suggest that localized cytokine delivery can reduce fibrotic encapsulation and support durable graft function, offering a path to lessen reliance on systemic immunosuppression in islets transplantation and other implantable biomaterial therapies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aec7053
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2026 Sep 01. pii: S0147-6513(26)00889-4. [Epub ahead of print]322 120559

Environmental risk assessment for genetically modified microalgae.

Irene Gallego, André Friedrich, Johan Robbens, Jörg Romeis.

  Advances in genomic techniques have great potential to accelerate the development of the microalgal sector and to address key challenges related to upscaling. Genetically modified microalgae (GMM) can exhibit enhanced biomass productivity, increased accumulation of valuable biocompounds, or express other beneficial traits compared to their non-modified counterparts. However, the application of GMM and their associated cultivation methods may lead to unintentional release, potentially affecting adjacent ecosystems. Here we apply a problem formulation approach to support the environmental risk assessment of novel GMM relative to their wild-type counterparts. We focus on potential effects on ecosystem services provided by natural microalgae communities. We present plausible pathways to harm through which GMM could exert adverse effects and formulate relevant research questions to evaluate the likelihood of each step within these pathways. Existing knowledge on the hazards associated with invasiveness, gene transfer and toxicity of GMM is compiled and discussed. Together, these elements provide a practical framework for identifying relevant hazards and guiding data generation to support environmental risk assessments of GMM.

Keywords:  Biosafety; Biotechnology; Cyanobacteria; Gene-edited microorganisms; Genetically engineered algae; Genetically modified microbes; Synthetic biology

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120559
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2026 Aug 06.

An Injectable Dual Bacterial-Trapping Nanozyme Composite Hydrogel for Synergistic Antibacterial/Anti-Inflammatory Therapy of Endophthalmitis.

Guodong Fang, Yujie Liu, Guoxiao Zhang, Shuang Li, Kaiqi Liu, Shuai Ju, Zhan Gao, Xingxing Yue, Depeng Shi, Chao Yang.

  Bacterial endophthalmitis (BE) is characterized by severe intraocular bacterial infection and sustained inflammation. Current therapeutic efficacy is compromised by the passive diffusion-dominated drug release kinetics of conventional carriers, leading to inadequate bacterial clearance and frequent invasive injections. Herein, an injectable hydrogel is engineered to achieve a synergistic "trap-and-kill" and immunomodulatory therapy. The hydrogel matrix is constructed via dynamic Schiff base crosslinking between quaternized chitosan and oxidized dextran, providing excellent injectability and biocompatibility. The hydrogel integrates boronic acid-decorated cerium metal-organic frameworks (Ce-MOFs) within this dynamic polysaccharide network, possessing dual bacterial-trapping attributed to boronic acid-mediated bacterial surface covalent binding to surface cis-diols and electrostatic attraction. This "bacterial enrichment" effect overcomes the diffusion barrier, markedly enhancing the bactericidal efficiency of the encapsulated vancomycin, resulting in a reduction in the dosage to as low as 14-20% of the clinical amount, yet the effect remains comparable. Furthermore, leveraging the catalase- and superoxide dismutase-mimicking activities of Ce-MOFs, the hydrogel functions as a therapeutic nanozyme to scavenge excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and downregulate pro-inflammatory cytokines. Validated by comprehensive in vitro and in vivo models, this integrated platform demonstrates superior bacterial eradication and inflammation resolution, which presents an active, robust therapeutic strategy for those deep-seated implant-associated infections.

Keywords:  bacterial capture; bacterial endophthalmitis; injectable hydrogel; metal-organic framework; nanozyme; reactive oxygen species

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6c06038
Adv Healthc Mater. 2026 Aug 05. e71520

Engineered Injectable Hydrogel Platform for Tailoring the Osteoarthritis Microenvironment.

Jiaping Wu, Jianbin Shi, Xinyang Luo, Zhonggui He, Xiao Kuang, Shenwu Zhang.

  Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a self-sustaining degenerative process characterized by maladaptive interactions among the cartilage, bone, and synovium triads, with current palliative treatments falling short of addressing its pathophysiological intricacies. Recently, injectable hydrogels specifically designed to tackle the distinct challenges of OA have emerged as a potential solution, offering significant advantages over traditional therapies through innovative integration. This review offers a comprehensive examination of the latest advancements in injectable hydrogel-based therapies for managing OA. First, we dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive OA progression, placing specific attention on microenvironmental dysregulation. Next, we analyze various hydrogel design strategies, such as matrix composition, crosslinking methods, and stimulus-responsive release, that influence mechanical strength and therapeutic precision. Additionally, we discuss the multifunctional potential of engineered hydrogels, particularly their exceptional ability to support targeted drug delivery. Finally, this review emphasizes the novel potential of these engineered systems to address the unique challenges related to OA management while overcoming the limitations of existing therapies, thereby positioning them as transformative tools for future clinical applications.

Keywords:  cartilage regeneration; injectable hydrogel platforms; osteoarthritis; pathophysiological features; tailored biomaterials

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.71520