3D printing of bacteria into functional complex materials

Schaffner, Manuel; Rühs, Patrick A.; Coulter, Fergal B.; Kilcher, Samuel; Studart, André R.

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aao6804

Cited by 368 publications

(346 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…By using more complex methods, BC can also be produced in the form of hollow spheres, namely through the use of microfluidics or water‐in‐oil emulsion techniques . A novel and innovative way to obtain fine‐controlled and complex shapes of BC were recently described by Schaffner et al . They used 3D bioprinting where a biocompatible hydrogel, with adjusted rheological properties, allowed the immobilization of A. xylinum .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latest Advances on Bacterial Cellulose‐Based Materials for Wound Healing, Delivery Systems, and Tissue Engineering

Carvalho

Guedes

Sousa

et al. 2019

Biotechnology Journal

128

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Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a nanocellulose form produced by some nonpathogenic bacteria. BC presents unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that make it a very versatile material and has found application in several fields, namely in food industry, cosmetics, and biomedicine. This review overviews the latest state‐of‐the‐art usage of BC on three important areas of the biomedical field, namely delivery systems, wound dressing and healing materials, and tissue engineering for regenerative medicine. BC will be reviewed as a promising biopolymer for the design and development of innovative materials for the mentioned applications. Overall, BC is shown to be an effective and versatile carrier for delivery systems, a safe and multicustomizable patch or graft for wound dressing and healing applications, and a material that can be further tuned to better adjust for each tissue engineering application, by using different methods.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latest Advances on Bacterial Cellulose‐Based Materials for Wound Healing, Delivery Systems, and Tissue Engineering

Carvalho

Guedes

Sousa

et al. 2019

Biotechnology Journal

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, recently a high-throughput, droplet-based microfluidic method was developed to generate defined-size vesicles termed droplet-stabilized GUVs. [119][120][121][122] In general, an increase in complexity may be necessary to eventually reach the ultimate aim to design a minimal cell. [118] This highlights the potential of microfluidic techniques, which enables not only for creation of a complex biomimetic microcompartment, but also for the assembly of biological modules to a functional system-a task that could further be complemented by advances in 3D-printing for future attempts of minimal cell assembly.…”

Section: Toward Minimal Cell Design: Compartmentalization and Increasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cytoskeletal and Actin‐Based Polymerization Motors and Their Role in Minimal Cell Design

2019

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Life implies motion. In cells, protein‐based active molecular machines drive cell locomotion and intracellular transport, control cell shape, segregate genetic material, and split a cell in two parts. Key players among molecular machines driving these various cell functions are the cytoskeleton and motor proteins that convert chemical bound energy into mechanical work. Findings over the last decades in the field of in vitro reconstitutions of cytoskeletal and motor proteins have elucidated mechanistic details of these active protein systems. For example, a complex spatial and temporal interplay between the cytoskeleton and motor proteins is responsible for the translation of chemically bound energy into (directed) movement and force generation, which eventually governs the emergence of complex cellular functions. Understanding these mechanisms and the design principles of the cytoskeleton and motor proteins builds the basis for mimicking fundamental life processes. Here, a brief overview of actin, prokaryotic actin analogs, and motor proteins and their potential role in the design of a minimal cell from the bottom‐up is provided.

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“…Further, many of these examples have leveraged “digital fabrication”—the translation of digital designs into physical form with the precise and replicable control of computer‐aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM). Additive manufacturing platforms that directly place bio‐inks (e.g., build material consisting of whole cell suspensions) into controlled shapes have emerged as a prevailing digital fabrication‐driven biohybrid approach . Digital fabrication platforms have also been used to template exogenous chemical or environmental signals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this methodology, we take existing tools from the computational design and digital fabrication fields that are used to control volumetric material distributions for 3D inkjet printing and translate them into tools for the programmable control of biological behavior across the surface of 3D‐printed objects. To interface a multimaterial inkjet‐based 3D printer with cellular functionality, we employ two well‐developed biomaterial regimes: the use of diffusive chemicals for cell signaling and the use of hydrogel environments to immobilize cells across the surface of 3D structures . Unlike prior approaches, the HLM platform uses a holistic design‐to‐fabrication workflow to digitally model and control the gene‐regulated function of engineered bacteria in response to targeted chemical signals programmed into the 3D object.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid Living Materials: Digital Design and Fabrication of 3D Multimaterial Structures with Programmable Biohybrid Surfaces

Smith

Bader

Sharma

et al. 2019

Adv Funct Materials

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Significant efforts exist to develop living/non‐living composite materials—known as biohybrids—that can support and control the functionality of biological agents. To enable the production of broadly applicable biohybrid materials, new tools are required to improve replicability, scalability, and control. Here, the Hybrid Living Material (HLM) fabrication platform is presented, which integrates computational design, additive manufacturing, and synthetic biology to achieve replicable fabrication and control of biohybrids. The approach involves modification of multimaterial 3D‐printer descriptions to control the distribution of chemical signals within printed objects, and subsequent addition of hydrogel to object surfaces to immobilize engineered Escherichia coli and facilitate material‐driven chemical signaling. As a result, the platform demonstrates predictable, repeatable spatial control of protein expression across the surfaces of 3D‐printed objects. Custom‐developed orthogonal signaling resins and gene circuits enable multiplexed expression patterns. The platform also demonstrates a computational model of interaction between digitally controlled material distribution and genetic regulatory responses across 3D surfaces, providing a digital tool for HLM design and validation. Thus, the HLM approach produces biohybrid materials of wearable‐scale, self‐supporting 3D structure, and programmable biological surfaces that are replicable and customizable, thereby unlocking paths to apply industrial modeling and fabrication methods toward the design of living materials.

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3D printing of bacteria into functional complex materials

Abstract: 3D printing of bacteria-laden hydrogels enables the digital fabrication of complex functional materials.

Cited by 368 publications

References 48 publications

Latest Advances on Bacterial Cellulose‐Based Materials for Wound Healing, Delivery Systems, and Tissue Engineering

Latest Advances on Bacterial Cellulose‐Based Materials for Wound Healing, Delivery Systems, and Tissue Engineering

Cytoskeletal and Actin‐Based Polymerization Motors and Their Role in Minimal Cell Design

Hybrid Living Materials: Digital Design and Fabrication of 3D Multimaterial Structures with Programmable Biohybrid Surfaces

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