Science Alert December 1, 2021
Based on the living cells ability to synthesize molecular components and precisely assemble them to build living functional architectures under ambient conditions microbial engineering has produced materials for various applications. However, building 3D structures in arbitrary patterns and shapes has been a challenge. A team of researchers in the US (Harvard University, Northeastern University, Harvard Medical School) has developed a bioink (microbial ink) that is produced entirely from genetically engineered microbial cells, programmed to perform a bottom-up, hierarchical self-assembly of protein monomers into nanofibers, and nanofiber networks that comprise extrudable hydrogels. They demonstrated the 3D printing of functional living materials by embedding programmed E. coli cells and nanofibers into microbial ink, which can sequester toxic moieties, release biologics, and regulate its own cell growth through the chemical induction of rationally designed genetic circuits. The work may have applications in building self-healing structures...read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Schematics of the design strategy, production, and functional applications of microbial ink. Credit: Nature Communications volume 12, Article number: 6600 (2021)Â