Speaker
Description
Engineered Living Materials (ELM) harness the extraordinary sensory capabilities and versatile production capacities of living organisms to give materials adaptive functions. The combination of ELM with (3D) bioprinting processes is particularly exciting in this context. Through the targeted application of materials or the construction of complex branched or highly porous multi-material structures, production capacities can be expanded and completely new functionalities implemented. However, the various stresses to which cells are exposed during material transfer in printing processes can pose a challenge to maintaining their functionality.
In this presentation, we will introduce various printing processes and their suitability for processing ELM. These range from industrial printing processes for high-throughput production (e.g., gravure and screen printing) to additive manufacturing of 3D objects (e.g., stereolithography and 3D-bioprinting). Different organisms are used to achieve ELM-specific functionalities. Our work examines the extent to which the organisms are resistant to various printing-related stresses (solvents, UV radiation, temperature, and shear stress). To this end, four different model organisms with defined properties and applications are investigated: (1) Through the use of genetically encoded spores, 3D structures with integrated anti-counterfeiting protection can be produced. (2) The application of 3D bioprinted tobacco plant cell cultures serves as a catalytic production platform. (3) Genetically modified microalgae are used as a growth factor microfactory for the serum-free 3D culture of muscle cells. (4) Finally, mechanosensitive bacteria that can convert mechanical stress into fluorescence signals are investigated.
The results provide important insights into the use of printing processes for the bioproduction of ELM and shed light on which processes are best suited for which type of organism. The work thus provides the basis for the future design of production processes for the functionalization of technical materials or the additive construction of ELM.
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