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De Novo Engineered Living Materials via Elastin-Like Polypeptide-Mediated Self-Assembly
Sarah B Browning1, Davide Prati2, Luca Mascia1
1Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States.
ACS Synthetic Biology
|May 28, 2026
Summary
Engineered living materials (ELMs) use engineered E. coli displaying elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) for self-assembly. This platform enables scalable material construction and improves fermentation processes.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Synthetic Biology
- Cellular Engineering
Background:
- Engineered living materials (ELMs) offer programmable material fabrication from cells.
- Scalable self-assembly principles for de novo ELMs are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer Escherichia coli to display elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) for self-assembly.
- To establish design rules for linking molecular interactions to macroscopic organization in ELMs.
Main Methods:
- Engineered E. coli to display tunable elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) on their surface.
- Tuned ELP sequence polarity to control assembly scale (micrometer to centimeter).
- Assessed cellular metabolic activity and self-assembly kinetics.
Main Results:
- Achieved self-assembly into macroscopic structures within hours, preserving cell viability.
- Demonstrated ELM platform portability across E. coli strains and expression systems.
- Successfully deployed ELP-based ELMs in ethanologenic E. coli for improved flocculation and reduced filtration time.
Conclusions:
- ELP surface display is a modular strategy for de novo engineered living materials.
- Established initial genetic design rules for controlling ELM self-assembly.
- ELP-based ELMs enhance fermentation efficiency and material properties.
