bims-livmat 2025-03-23 papers

Theranostics. 2025 ;15(8): 3289-3315

Engineered Probiotic-Based Biomaterials for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment.

Guangze Sang, Bingkai Wang, Yujie Xie, Yu Chen, Feng Yang.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition affecting the intestines, marked by immune-mediated inflammation. This disease is known for its recurrent nature and the challenges it presents in treatment. Recently, probiotic have gained attention as a promising alternative to traditional small molecular drugs and monoclonal antibody chemotherapies for IBD. Probiotic, recognized as a "living" therapeutic agent, offers targeted treatment with minimal side effects and the flexibility for biological modifications, making them highly effective for IBD management. This comprehensive review presents the latest advancements in engineering probiotic-based materials, ranging from basic treatment mechanisms to the modification techniques used in IBD management. It delves deep into how probiotic produces therapeutic effects in the intestinal environment and discusses various strategies to enhance probiotic's efficacy, including genetic modifications and formulation improvements. Additionally, the review addresses the challenges, practical application conditions, and future research directions of probiotic-based therapies in IBD treatment, providing insights into their feasibility and potential clinical implications.

Keywords: engineered probiotic-based materials; inflammatory bowel disease; living materials; probiotics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.103983

Biotechnol Biofuels Bioprod. 2025 Mar 15. 18(1): 34

Bacillus subtilis surface display technology: applications in bioprocessing and sustainable manufacturing.

Howra Bahrulolum, Gholamreza Ahmadian.

The growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives in bioprocessing, healthcare, and manufacturing has stimulated significant interest in Bacillus subtilis surface display technology. This innovative platform, leveraging both spore and vegetative cell forms, provides exceptional versatility for a wide spectrum of applications, spanning from green technologies to advanced biomedical innovations. The robustness of spores and the metabolic activity of vegetative cells enable efficient enzyme immobilization, biocatalysis, and biosensor development, facilitating bioremediation, pollutant degradation, and renewable energy generation. Additionally, B. subtilis surface display systems have demonstrated remarkable potential in vaccine development and drug delivery, offering a cost-effective, scalable, and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional methods. These systems can effectively present antigens or therapeutic molecules, enabling targeted drug delivery and robust immune responses. This review explores recent advancements, challenges, and opportunities in harnessing B. subtilis surface display technology for sustainable biomanufacturing, green innovations, and transformative biomedical applications, emphasizing its role in addressing pressing global challenges in environmental sustainability and healthcare.

Keywords: Bacillus subtilis ; Environmental biotechnology; Surface display technology; Sustainable biomanufacturing; Vaccine development

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-025-02635-4

Chem Soc Rev. 2025 Mar 19.

Cell-free synthetic biology for natural product biosynthesis and discovery.

Andrew J Rice, Tien T Sword, Kameshwari Chengan, Douglas A Mitchell, Nigel J Mouncey, Simon J Moore, Constance B Bailey.

Natural products have applications as biopharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other high-value chemicals. However, there are challenges in isolating natural products from their native producers (e.g. bacteria, fungi, plants). In many cases, synthetic chemistry or heterologous expression must be used to access these important molecules. The biosynthetic machinery to generate these compounds is found within biosynthetic gene clusters, primarily consisting of the enzymes that biosynthesise a range of natural product classes (including, but not limited to ribosomal and nonribosomal peptides, polyketides, and terpenoids). Cell-free synthetic biology has emerged in recent years as a bottom-up technology applied towards both prototyping pathways and producing molecules. Recently, it has been applied to natural products, both to characterise biosynthetic pathways and produce new metabolites. This review discusses the core biochemistry of cell-free synthetic biology applied to metabolite production and critiques its advantages and disadvantages compared to whole cell and/or chemical production routes. Specifically, we review the advances in cell-free biosynthesis of ribosomal peptides, analyse the rapid prototyping of natural product biosynthetic enzymes and pathways, highlight advances in novel antimicrobial discovery, and discuss the rising use of cell-free technologies in industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d4cs01198h

ACS Nano. 2025 Mar 18.

Nature-Inspired Engineering Separation Materials and Devices.

Yanling Huang, Yongyang Song, Shutao Wang.

Separation is a fundamental process in natural living systems. Their separation capabilities have inspired the design of various separation materials and devices. Despite some progress having been made, a comprehensive overview is still lacking. In this Perspective, we first review the development of separation technologies. We then summarize some typical living systems exhibiting superior separation capabilities from compositions and microstructures to separation mechanisms. Next, we highlight key advancements in nature-inspired separation materials and integrated devices. Finally, we propose future research directions and opportunities, emphasizing the importance of physical and chemical design and internal and external stimulus regulation. These nature-inspired materials and devices show great potential in biomedicine, environmental remediation, energy conversion, food safety, and analysis testing.

Keywords: composition; device; living system; mechanism; microstructure; nature-inspired; separation; stimuli-responsive

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c17912

Biotechnol Adv. 2025 Mar 16. pii: S0734-9750(25)00050-3. [Epub ahead of print] 108564

Re-imagining human cell culture media: Challenges, innovations, and future directions.

Akila Wijerathna-Yapa, Kathy Sharon Isaac, Michelle Combe, Samuel Hume, Stanislav Sokolenko.

The development of optimized culture media is pivotal to advancements in human cell culture, underpinning progress in regenerative medicine, cell therapies, and personalized medicine. While foundational formulations like Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) have historically enabled significant biological research, these media were primarily designed for non-human cells and do not adequately address the unique metabolic and functional requirements of human cells. This review examines the evolution of cell culture media, identifying persistent challenges in reproducibility, scalability, and ethical concerns, particularly regarding the reliance on animal-derived components such as fetal bovine serum (FBS). We highlight innovations in serum-free and chemically defined media that offer promising alternatives by enhancing consistency, aligning with Good Manufacturing Practices, and addressing ethical concerns. Emerging approaches, including omics-based profiling, high-throughput screening, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven media design, are reshaping media optimization by enabling precise tailoring to the needs of specific human cell types and patient-derived cells. Furthermore, we discuss economic and regulatory challenges, emphasizing the need for cost-effective and scalable solutions to facilitate clinical translation. Looking forward, integrating advanced biotechnological tools such as 3D bioprinting, organ-on-a-chip systems, and personalized media formulations presents a transformative opportunity for human cell culture. These innovations, aligned with ethical and clinical standards, can drive the development of human-specific media systems that ensure reproducibility, scalability, and enhanced therapeutic potential, thereby advancing both research and clinical applications.

Keywords: CAR-T; Cell culture; Fetal bovine serum; Human cells; Media; Xeno-free

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108564