Publications

Cultivated meat attracts growing attention not only in news media and among experts and investors but also in social media discussions and online newspaper comments. While not representative of the general public, such comments offer valuable insights into public attitudes, perceptions, and concerns. We analysed 491 German and Dutch online comments to explore perceived benefits, risks, and barriers to cultivated meat development. Many commenters expressed optimism about sustainability and animal welfare benefits, yet concerns about health risks, fairness, and unnaturalness were widespread. Overall, attitudes were predominantly negative and highly polarised. We identify several contributing factors: polarising media events, societal divides around sustainability and responsibility, distrust in institutions and industry, over-promising technological narratives, and the spread of misinformation. These findings underscore the need for transparent communication, inclusive dialogue, and more nuanced public debate on the societal implications of emerging food technologies.

The growing demand for safer, more targeted therapeutics requires the development of advanced biomaterials. Among these, Engineered Living Materials (ELMs)—which integrate synthetic biology with material science—are emerging as promising platforms for biomedical applications. This review focuses on a subclass of ELMs based on genetically engineered probiotics combined with matrices, that are termed Probiotic Living Materials (PLMs) to differentiate them from Living Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs). Recent studies highlight PLM’s potential in addressing different health conditions, offering targeted and dynamic therapies. However, PLMs face multiple challenges to be implemented in clinics, including a lack of robust genetic toolkits for probiotic engineering, concerns about biosafety (e.g., horizontal gene transfer or non-desirable biological activity), difficulties in translating preclinical results to humans, and the absence of clear regulatory guidance for clinical use. This review first explores the fundamental features of ELMs, then provides an overview of probiotics, followed by recent advances in the design of engineered PLMs for biomedical applications, particularly in biosensing development, infection treatment, bone repair, wound healing, vaginal imbalances, gut-related conditions, and cancer therapy. Finally, biosafety issues and current gaps in regulatory frameworks to ensure safe and effective use of PLMs, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations, are discussed.

Over the years, the need for novel solutions to replace damaged tissues has led to the development of new tissue-engineering strategies. Bottom-up approaches have gained interest for mimicking the hierarchical cellular organization and intricate nature of tissues. Among these approaches, automated-assisted techniques, such as robotic handling, have the potential to precisely control the spatial organization of building blocks, allowing the creation of highly specific functional tissues. Recognizing the potential of robotic handling in tissue engineering, this review provides an overview of robot-assisted bottom-up approaches for engineering complex tissues, highlighting the advantages and limitations of various systems currently being explored. To address the growing interest in this field, this review also discusses key considerations for the assembly of complex living tissues, while providing insights into future directions and challenges in this rapidly evolving field.

The regulation of cellular behavior within a three-dimensional (3D) environment to execute a specific function remains a challenge in the field of tissue engineering. In native tissues, cells and matrices are arranged into 3D modular units, comprising biochemical and biophysical signals that orchestrate specific cellular activities. Modular tissue engineering aims to emulate this natural complexity through the utilization of functional building blocks with unique stimulation features. By adopting a modular approach and using well-designed biomaterials, cellular microenvironments can be effectively decoupled from their macro-scale surroundings, enabling the development of engineered tissues with enhanced multifunctionality and heterogeneity. We overview recent advancements in decoupling the cellular micro-scale niches from their macroenvironment and evaluate the implications of this strategy on cellular and tissue functionality.