3D-Printable Cellular Composites for the Production of Recombinant Proteins

The incorporation of living cells into materials promises both significant challenges and new possibilities. Although recent years have seen important advances in this field, there is still much to be learned about engineering interfaces between cells and materials. Here, we present a new class of 3D-printable materials, based on poly(N-hydroxymethylacrylamide) (PNHMAA), in which the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis is effectively cross-linked into the surrounding polymeric scaffold. After dehydration and subsequent re-swelling in nutrient-rich media, embedded cells and spores become metabolically active and are capable of heterologous protein production and secretion. Strikingly, the leak-free scaffold allows protein production while preventing escape of embedded cells. The successful construction of complex three-dimensional structures by stereolithographic printing of living PNHMAA composite materials suggests utility in a broad range of applications.