Bioprinting microporous functional living materials from protein-based core-shell microgels

Abstract

Living materials bring together material science and biology to allow the engineering and augmenting of living systems with novel functionalities. Bioprinting promises accurate control over the formation of such complex materials through programmable deposition of cells in soft materials, but current approaches had limited success in fine-tuning cell microenvironments while generating robust macroscopic morphologies. Here, we address this challenge through the use of core-shell microgel ink to decouple cell microenvironments from the structural shell for further processing. Cells are microfluidically immobilized in the viscous core that can promote the formation of both microbial populations and mammalian cellular spheroids, followed by interparticle annealing to give covalently stabilized functional scaffolds with controlled microporosity. The results show that the core-shell strategy mitigates cell leakage while affording a favorable environment for cell culture. Furthermore, we demonstrate that different microbial consortia can be printed into scaffolds for a range of applications. By compartmentalizing microbial consortia in separate microgels, the collective bioprocessing capability of the scaffold is significantly enhanced, shedding light on strategies to augment living materials with bioprocessing capabilities.

Programmable Granular Hydrogel Inks for 3D Bioprinting Applications

“…[41] Recently the average size of the filament generated using nozzles of different diameters was analyzed. [63] In this strategy, Gel/GelMA blend microgels with core-shell structure were used to produce the granular hydrogels by using a microfluidics chip, comprising three different solutions. A cell-loaded carboxymethylcellulose solution was flanked by the gelatin solution which is finally emulsified into droplets by the carrier oil.…”

“…In this context, the water elimination effect was analyzed in a study that examined the extrusion and filament formation of PEG microgels. [ 63 ] The findings revealed that water is extruded prior to the filaments, which was linked to the water present in the interstitial spaces between the microgels. This suggests that the physical confinement of the syringe and nozzle leads to a tighter packing of the microgels and eliminates the interstitial water.…”

3D printing of microbial communities: A new platform for understanding and engineering microbiomes

“…However, it was only recently that these technologies have been applied to microbes. Thus far, the focus in microbiology has been quite different to that in human cell printing: rather than seeking to recreate microbial communities in their natural states, it was realised that microbes can be combined with abiotic matrices to create novel living materials (Duraj‐Thatte et al, 2021; González et al, 2020; Huang et al, 2019; Johnston et al, 2020; Lehner et al, 2017; Liu et al, 2018; Ou et al, 2022; Schaffner et al, 2017). Bacteria, in particular, can be mixed with biocompatible aqueous solutions that usually contain nutrients and chemical components to form a self‐supporting hydrogel.…”

“…They hypothesised that, when segregated, the species in question are not in direct competition for nutrients and so are better able to coexist and sustain production of betaxanthin. Another example uses this idea of spatial segregation to improve the production of 2‐phenylethanol (commonly used as rose scent) in a two‐species community comprising E. coli and Meyerozyma guilliermondii (Figure 1G) (Ou et al, 2022). The authors use E. coli to convert glucose into 1‐phenylalanine, which is then further transformed into 2‐phenylethanol by M. guilliermondii .…”

Photosynthetic living fibers fabrication from algal-bacterial consortia with controlled spatial distribution

“…The copyright holder for this preprint (which this version posted May 2, 2023. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.02.539014 doi: bioRxiv preprint properties [5,6,7,8]. By cultivating two or more types of cells within a single system to replicate a natural symbiotic environment, it becomes possible to facilitate the exchange of energy, substances, and signals between different species [9,10,11]. This approach also enables the sharing of labor and metabolic processes, allowing for efficient partitioning of resources [12].…”