EIC Engineered Living Materials Portfolio

BIOACTION is developing an innovative approach in implant technology using functionalized bio-hydrogels to turn biofilm-associated infections—major contributors to implant failure—into a beneficial resource.

The project’s primary goal is to convert implant-associated bacteria into tools for the programmable production of specific proteins that promote cell recruitment and tissue regeneration, utilizing engineered liposomes and phages attached to hydrogel scaffolds.

BIOACTION will create biomimetic substrates that transform biofilm into an extracellular matrix for tissue regeneration, suitable for injectable materials and implant coatings for treating periodontal and peri-implant infections. The approach will be validated in two animal models: dental implants and permanent transcutaneous bone.

This interdisciplinary project aims to revolutionize infection treatment, enhancing care standards and health outcomes while providing significant socio-economic benefits. Ultimately, BIOACTION will advance research and techniques in regenerative medicine, establishing proof-of-concept for broader applications.

Bio-hybrid materials and physiochemical interactions hold great promise for advancing the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. However, current developments in these technologies are limited, with few functional options available. In this context, the EIC-funded Bio-HhOST project aims to develop a bio-hybrid material composed of living and artificial cells, enabling a wide range of interactions. The incorporation of artificial cells will facilitate the proliferation, function, and differentiation of living cells, while also possessing functional metabolisms capable of revolutionising the sector through chemical interactions. Additionally, the project employs 3D tissue models and simulations to enhance the understanding of the material and its response to diseases, thereby reducing the necessity for animal research.

Manufacturing our very own hearts is just a heartbeat away, literally. Engineers are joining forces with biologists to make biological heart robots. The EU-funded BioRobot-MiniHeart project is developing a vascularised beating mini-heart. In parallel, the team is designing a self-propulsion swimming bio-robot created by assembling human cardiac cells into 3D tissue structures; using sacrificial moulding and high-resolution 3D bioprinting.

The mini-heart and the bio-robot will provide scientists with a more realistic human cardiac model in vitro and an appropriate tool to assess cardiotoxicants’ presence in the environment. We expect this innovation to help speed up the development of heart disease cures.

Engineered living materials (ELMs) are composed of living cells endowed with unique properties and functions. ELMs have received significant attention in materials sciences due to their tuneability and potential for sustainable production. Funded by the European Innovation Council, the Fungateria project aims to generate an innovative portfolio of ELMs that combine fungi with bacteria.

Growing the vegetative part of the mushroom—the mycelium—on different organic substrates is the most common way of producing fungi-based materials. The project will combine the mycelium with bacteria that serve as a chassis for sensor-containing genetic circuits. The resultant ELMs will exhibit advanced functionalities and inducible degradation when no longer needed.

Chronic diseases, demanding lengthy treatments, often push patients into inconvenience and discomfort. Repetitive intrusions of therapies for conditions like age-related macular degeneration, inflammatory bowel diseases or cancer not only disrupt lives but also risk side effects.

The EIC-funded ISOS project aims to revolutionise healthcare with a pioneering biomedical solution. By seamlessly integrating genetically engineered bacteria into a biomaterial-based bioreactor, ISOS presents a visionary approach to in situ, on-demand fabrication and auto-renewed delivery of therapeutic compounds based on dynamic variation of pathological signals.

In silico simulations allow modelling interactions between bacteria, biomolecules, cells, and tissues/organs, and define optimal microbiota ecosystems to treat the pathology with the best efficacy.

The ISOS initiative holds the promise of transforming prolonged treatments into personalised, efficient, and minimally invasive healthcare experiences.

Fungi comprise approximately one hundred thousand described species to date. The real total is estimated to be in the millions. They are amazing factories, producing numerous bioactive metabolites of therapeutic interest. The EU-funded LoopOfFun project has recognised their potential in yet another innovative area – as part of engineered living materials (ELMs), with open- and closed-loop control of mechanical and structural properties. The project will identify fungi gifted with superior abilities for materials synthesis and harness them for synthetic biology-based programming. The programming will be accomplished via a novel automatic robotised platform to develop the fungi into ELMs based on iterative design-build-test-learn cycles. The outcomes will then support the rational design of such materials.

Compared to conventional materials, biomaterials in living organisms possess specific architecture and organisation: and often exhibit multiple functions. Εngineered living materials (ELMs) have emerged at the junction of synthetic biology and material science to produce materials with improved functionality because of the living organisms within them.

Funded by the European Innovation Council, the NextSkins project is inspired by the structure and function of the many layers of skin. Researchers will mimic the specialised skin arrangement to make two engineered living materials: one with a therapeutic role to treat skin diseases and one with a purpose to be used as a protective garment in sports.

The EU-funded PRISM-LT project will use a hybrid living materials concept to create a flexible platform for living tissue manufacturing. The innovative bio-ink will contain stem cells integrated into a supporting matrix with engineered helper bacteria or yeast cells.

The bioprinting process will produce a 3D patterned structure where stem cells could be induced to differentiate into different lineages. The directed stimulation of differentiating stem cells will force them to produce lineage-specific metabolites for sensing by the designer helper cells. The helper cells within the platform will then enhance localised lineage commitment to sustain differentiation stability.

The project aims to implement this strategy to develop two symbiotic materials designed for biomedical and food applications, respectively.

The REMEDY project proposes a game-changing technology in the form of an archibiome tattoo that will allow bespoke and high-resolution decoration and functionalisation of new and existing buildings.

Our ambition is to achieve a breakthrough in fundamental research in microbiology and synthetic biology, transfer the know-how to materials science in the form of engineered living materials, and develop compatible biofabrication processes that allow personalised design in the architectural context.

We propose the customisation of building appearance with living and active interkingdom microbial inks that will act similarly to probiotic skincare products, enhancing biotherapeutic architecture. The tailored and engineered microbial consortia will create a beneficial microbiome, providing resilience and resistance against pathogenic microorganisms, allowing carbon sequestration, oxygen production, and bioremediation among others.

We will use the latest metagenomic tools to evaluate the functionome of the created microbial consortia along every step in the development of living inks. In silico analysis will be applied to predict combinations of microorganisms based on genome-scale models of metabolism. Machine learning models will be implemented for predictive analysis of growth patterns and structural outcomes, providing insights for further optimising ink formulations and printing parameters.

REMEDY will introduce metabolic thinking in the circular building industry, boost probiotic architecture, and initiate a microbial revolution that aims to change the negative perception of microorganisms in architecture. The “high-risk” idea proposed by the interdisciplinary consortium will deliver a “high-gain” solution in the form of probiotic architecture.

REMEDY will provide a new dimension that has not yet existed for conventional materials – life. It will change the way we perceive, experience, understand, design, use, and transform materials.