Srikkanth Balasubramanian, Marie-Eve Aubin-Tam, and Anne S. Meyer explore the idea of 3D printing with bacteria further in their recently published ‘ 3D Printing for the Fabrication of Biofilm-Based Functional Living Materials .’

With a focus on the power bacterial biofilms could have in a variety of applications, the researchers explain the benefits of these CD cell networks made up of proteins, lipids, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids. As organic platforms for production and processing of biomaterials, the bacterial biofilms not only self-assemble and settle into spatial patterning, but they are also tough, demonstrating high mechanical stiffness, and resistance to high temperatures, antibiotics, pollutants, detergents, and more.

The authors expect biofilms to be beneficial for applications like the following: Bioleaching Bioremediation Materials production Wastewater purification Synthetic biology allows researchers to refine and strengthen the performance of ‘biofilm-forming bacteria,’ with the use of additional peptides and ‘genetically tractable bacteria’ like Escherichia […]

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