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3D printing of bacteria into functional complex materials.

Manuel Schaffner1, Patrick A Rühs1, Fergal Coulter1,2

  • 1Complex Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.

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Summary

This study introduces a 3D printing method for creating advanced living materials. This technique enables precise bacterial localization in complex structures for diverse biotechnological applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Engineering
  • Synthetic Biology
  • Additive Manufacturing

Background:

  • Controlling bacterial localization in 3D materials is challenging.
  • Existing methods lack precision for complex geometries.
  • Bacteria offer diverse metabolic functions for material applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a 3D printing approach for creating complex, bacteria-embedded functional materials.
  • To combine bacterial metabolism with additive manufacturing for novel living materials.
  • To demonstrate the platform's versatility for pollutant degradation and cellulose production.

Main Methods:

  • Embedding bacteria within a biocompatible, functionalized 3D printing ink.
  • Utilizing additive manufacturing to precisely control material geometry and bacterial placement.
  • Printing two types of living materials with distinct functionalities.

Main Results:

  • Successful fabrication of 3D-printed living materials with embedded bacteria.
  • Demonstrated capability for pollutant degradation by the printed materials.
  • Production of medically relevant bacterial cellulose using the printed constructs.
  • Achieved spatially specific compositions and properties not possible with standard techniques.

Conclusions:

  • The developed bacteria-printing platform offers a versatile method for creating complex living materials.
  • This approach enables bottom-up assembly of materials with tailored functions for biotechnology and biomedicine.
  • Opens new avenues for designing advanced functional materials using bacteria and 3D printing.