bims-livmat Biomed News
on Living materials
Issue of 2026–09–13
eight papers selected by
Sara Trujillo Muñoz, Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien
  1. Volumetric 3D printing of microalgae-based engineered living materials.
  2. Controlling viscoelastic behavior and microstructural organization in engineered living materials using synthetic adhesins and rheometry.
  3. Engineered living materials: integration of living and nonliving systems.
  4. Rewiring lactobacilli: challenges, opportunities, and the translational path to therapeutics.
  5. Environmental Release of Genetically Intervened Microorganisms: Towards a New Narrative.
  6. Tailored living mycelium macerate for reproducible flexible actuators.
  7. Biohybrid microalgae living hydrogel with self-oxygenation and green-synthesized zinc nanoparticles to combat multidrug-resistant infections via transcriptional reprogramming.
  8. Living Biohybrid Hydrogels for Co-Delivery of Oxygen, Anti-Cancer Drugs, and Probiotics: Effects on Cancer and Healthy Cell Viability.
  1. Trends Biotechnol. 2026 Sep 08. pii: S0167-7799(26)00369-0. [Epub ahead of print]
    Volumetric 3D printing of microalgae-based engineered living materials.
    Christoph A Spiegel, Eva Blasco.
      In their work, Windisch et al. demonstrate the successful adaptation of volumetric 3D printing to photosynthetically active green microalgae-based engineered living materials (ELMs), addressing key fabrication challenges associated with light scattering and absorption in cell-laden materials. Their work expands the fabrication toolbox for geometrically complex ELMs and highlights volumetric printing as a promising approach for developing functional photosynthetic living materials.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2026.08.016
  2. Acta Biomater. 2026 Sep 08. pii: S1742-7061(26)00576-3. [Epub ahead of print]
    Controlling viscoelastic behavior and microstructural organization in engineered living materials using synthetic adhesins and rheometry.
    Stefana A Costan, Kira M Hallerbach, Samuel Y Kim, Chris Camp, Minkyu Kim, Ingmar H Riedel-Kruse.
      Engineered living materials (ELMs) at the multicelluar level represent an innovation that promises programmable properties for various applications. However, the rational tuning of the mechanical properties of such ELMs from first principles remains a challenge. Here we use synthetic cell-cell adhesins to systematically characterize how rheological and viscoelastic properties of multicellular materials made from living bacteria can be tuned through adhesion strength, cell size, cell shape, and adhesion logic. We find that many of the previous results obtained for non-living materials also apply to bacterial ELMs. Additionally, the incorporation of synthetic adhesins, combined with the adaptability of bacterial cells in modifying various cellular parameters, constitutes a new approach for the precise control over material properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate that rheology is a powerful tool for actively shaping the microscopic structure of ELMs, enabling control over cell aggregation and particle rearrangement, a key feature for complex material design. These results deepen our understanding of tuning the viscoelastic properties and fine structure of ELMs for bioprinting, microbial consortia design, and biomedical applications. Statement of significance The fields of Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) and Synthetic biology undergo rapid synergistic advancements, with bacterial and eukaryotic cells serving as modular building blocks for programmable materials. A critical challenge lies in the precise control and tunability over the mechanical and structural properties of ELMs. This paper demonstrates (1) the tunability of material viscoelasticity through key cellular parameters, i.e., adhesin strength, adhesion logic, cell shape, and multi-component mixing ratios; and (2) the generation of spatially defined colloidal consortia, mesoscopic structuring, pore formation and defect minimization through rheological manipulations. This paper bridges gaps between synthetic biology and materials science by providing a quantitative basis for ELM design and characterization, and by extending results from non-living particle suspensions to ELMs.
    Keywords:  Bacteria; Engineered living materials; Rheology; Structure formation; Synthetic adhesins; Synthetic biology; Viscoelasticity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2026.08.044
  3. Bioresour Technol. 2026 Sep 09. pii: S0960-8524(26)01870-5. [Epub ahead of print] 135788
    Engineered living materials: integration of living and nonliving systems.
    Haoran Yin, Wei Wei, Danshan Zhao, Runxin Zhang, Liyuan Zhu, Chao Ye, Tianqiong Shi, Yuetong Wang.
      Engineered living materials (ELMs) are an emerging class of biohybrid materials that integrate living cells with nonliving matrices to create systems capable of sensing, responding, adapting, and, in some cases, self-repairing. By coupling the programmability of synthetic biology with the structural tunability of polymeric, inorganic, or composite scaffolds, ELMs offer a new route toward materials that perform dynamic functions beyond those of conventional biomaterials. However, ELMs remain limited by key challenges, including the trade-off between mechanical robustness and cellular viability, restricted mass transport, unstable long-term function, bio-abiotic interfacial complexity, biosafety risks, and scalable manufacturing. This review outlines recent advances in ELM design, fabrication, and applications, emphasizing chassis engineering, smart matrices, bioprinting, in situ growth, and translational potential in medicine, environmental remediation, and biomanufacturing. It further discusses emerging strategies, including multicellular consortia, genetic biocontainment, and artificial intelligence (AI)-guided inverse design, for developing predictable, safe, and adaptive living materials.
    Keywords:  Bio-abiotic interface; Engineered living materials; Smart matrix; Synthetic biology
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2026.135788
  4. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2026 Sep 08. pii: S1369-5274(26)00120-7. [Epub ahead of print]94 102826
    Rewiring lactobacilli: challenges, opportunities, and the translational path to therapeutics.
    Varun Sai Tadimarri, Marc Blanch-Asensio, Shrikrishnan Sankaran.
      Lactobacilli have long been regarded as promising probiotic bacteria due to their safety profile, host compatibility, and beneficial roles in modulating human health. However, the therapeutic efficacy of wild-type probiotics remains constrained by limited target specificity, lack of control over their activity, and variability in clinical responses. Recent advances in synthetic biology have enabled the possibility of overcoming these constraints through precise engineering of bacterial functions, such as therapeutics production. Despite these advances, significant challenges remain in engineering lactobacilli, including limited genetic toolkits, species- and strain-dependent variability, and uncertainty regarding the stability and safety of engineered strains. This review discusses the current landscape of engineering lactobacilli for therapeutic applications, with particular emphasis on candidates undergoing clinical evaluation. Furthermore, it outlines key technical hurdles to overcome and suggests potential solutions to accelerate their translation into clinically effective and reliable microbial therapeutics.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2026.102826
  5. Microb Biotechnol. 2026 Sep;19(9): e70441
    Environmental Release of Genetically Intervened Microorganisms: Towards a New Narrative.
    Victor de Lorenzo.
      The deliberate release of genetically engineered microorganisms for environmental applications has remained largely blocked since the early days of recombinant DNA technology, when limited ecological knowledge, lack of success stories and public apprehension shaped a culture of caution and restrictive regulation. Despite profound advances in microbial ecology, synthetic biology and genetic design, current frameworks still rely on outdated assumptions and legacy regulations that equate engineered microbes with inherent danger and demand unrealistic forms of absolute containment. This review examines how laboratory-trained microorganisms exist on a continuum with naturally evolved life, and that their risks are neither categorically different nor greater. Rather than pursuing unachievable containment, governance should shift towards traceability, stewardship and long-term monitoring through genomic barcodes, digital twins and transparent oversight. The vision moves from domination and control to care and partnership recognizing engineered microbes as live amendments capable of restoring degraded ecosystems. Achieving this transformation requires new terminology, phased field-trial frameworks, improved scaling methods, and the integration of epistemological perspectives that emphasize reciprocity and coexistence with nature. Reframing biotechnology in this way could finally unlock the capacity of engineered microorganisms to contribute responsibly and effectively to planetary repair in an era of escalating environmental crises.
    Keywords:  Asilomar; bioremediation; containment; governance; traceability
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70441
  6. Nat Commun. 2026 Aug 12. pii: 9682. [Epub ahead of print]17(1):
    Tailored living mycelium macerate for reproducible flexible actuators.
    Rui Nie, Baoyuan Li, Luxuan Li, Guangyao Hou, Yikai Gao, Xiaonan Wang, Yan Huang, Mei Zhu, Xiaoman Liu, Xin Huang.
      The integration of living attributes, such as self-renewal and responsiveness, into structural materials remains a fundamental challenge, as they typically preclude the mechanical robustness required for practical applications. Here, we report a fungal-based maceration tailored strategy to create living mycelium materials with exceptional mechanical properties and programmable humidity responsiveness. The developed materials demonstrate wide-range adjustable tensile performance, achieving 11 ~ 349% elongation and 0.1 ~ 18.0 MJ·m-3 toughness, the highest values reported among flexible mycelium materials. Through multiscale characterization from microstructural to molecular levels, we revealed the hygroscopic deformation mechanism of Janus mycelium macerates which arises from asymmetric hygromechanics and entropy-driven reorganization. Crucially, these materials retain their living functionalities, enabling reversible dormancy-regeneration cycles in 1 year and inheritable Janus structure along with self-renewal of performance. Moreover, we demonstrate their ability to convert environmental humidity fluctuations into quantifiable electrical signals, highlighting their potential as biohybrid environmental sensors and interactive platforms. This interdisciplinary study represents an integrative paradigm in living material design, and exhibits substantial potential for future sustainable and intelligent applications at the intersection of living mycelium materials and ecologically sustainable devices.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76623-z
  7. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2026 Sep 04. pii: S0927-7765(26)00730-7. [Epub ahead of print]269 116142
    Biohybrid microalgae living hydrogel with self-oxygenation and green-synthesized zinc nanoparticles to combat multidrug-resistant infections via transcriptional reprogramming.
    Zhiying Shen, Lugang Mei, Bo Yang, Xiaowu Wang, Xuefei Yu.
      Multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections pose a formidable threat to global health, with hypoxia and infection representing two major interconnected challenges that impede wound healing. Current therapeutic approaches often fail to provide sustained oxygen supply or effectively combat MDR bacteria. Herein, we developed an innovative living hydrogel dressing to address these issues. Chlorella vulgaris (CV) was employed as a bioreactor for the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). The resulting CV/Zn complex was encapsulated within an alginate hydrogel matrix to form CV/Zn@Gel. This composite system enables continuous and stable oxygen release through microalgal photosynthesis. Meanwhile, CV/Zn@Gel confers potent antibacterial activity against MDR pathogens by inducing oxidative macromolecular damage and eliciting broad transcriptional reprogramming. In vitro assessments confirmed that CV/Zn@Gel significantly promotes cell proliferation and migration while exhibiting robust antibacterial efficacy. In a murine model of MDR-infected wounds, CV/Zn@Gel dressing markedly accelerated wound healing by alleviating hypoxia, reducing bacterial load, and modulating the immune response. Collectively, this work presents a novel and potent strategy for managing multidrug-resistant infections.
    Keywords:  Alginate hydrogel; MDR infection; Self-oxygenation; ZnO NPs green synthesis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2026.116142
  8. Macromol Biosci. 2026 Sep;26(9): e70233
    Living Biohybrid Hydrogels for Co-Delivery of Oxygen, Anti-Cancer Drugs, and Probiotics: Effects on Cancer and Healthy Cell Viability.
    Ulvi Süleymanzade, Tugba Ezgi Şahin, Yagmur Damla Demir, Yagmur Eylül Yatar, Nermin Seda Kehr.
      In recent studies, oxygen (O2) delivery biomaterials have been developed to reduce hypoxia-induced problems in, e.g., tumor tissues. However, none of these studies have used inhibitory effects of probiotics in combination therapies with O2 and anticancer drugs for advanced cancer treatment applications. In this study, we report a new probiotic-enriched 3D-printed biomaterial (3D-BioHybrid-DOX/SPEP) that is capable of O2, probiotic, and acidic pH (pH 6.0) sensitive anticancer drug (Doxorubicin = DOX) co-release. 3D-BioHybrid-DOX/SPEP shows sustained O2 and pH-responsive anticancer drug release over 14 days. The release of short-chain fatty acids, including butyric acid, was detected on days 1 and 7 of incubation, indicating that the O2 delivery component of the system supports probiotic viability while mitigating the toxic effects of DOX. The CFU results show that the 3D-BioHybrid-DOX/SPEP supports probiotic viability at 1 and 7 days of incubation. In vitro cell experiments indicate that the healthy cell viability is ca. 2 times higher than cancer cells after 1 and 7 days of incubation at hypoxia conditions in 3D-BioHybrid-DOX/SPEP due to the co-administration of O2, DOX, and probiotics.
    Keywords:  biohybrid hydrogels; hypoxia; pH‐responsive delivery; probiotics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.70233
This page is being maintained by Thomas Krichel. It was last updated on 2026‒09‒14 at 7:35.