bims-biopma 2025-07-13 papers

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2025 Jul 08.

Controlled Release of Microorganisms from Engineered Living Materials.

Manivannan Sivaperuman Kalairaj, Iris George, Sasha M George, Sofía E Farfán, Yoo Jin Lee, Laura K Rivera-Tarazona, Suitu Wang, Mustafa K Abdelrahman, Seelay Tasmim, Asaf Dana, Philippe E Zimmern, Sargurunathan Subashchandrabose, Taylor H Ware.

Probiotics offer therapeutic benefits by modulating the local microbiome, the host immune response, and the proliferation of pathogens. Probiotics have the potential to treat complex diseases, but their persistence or colonization is required at the target site for effective treatment. Although probiotic persistence can be achieved by repeated delivery, no biomaterial that releases clinically relevant doses of metabolically active probiotics in a sustained manner has been previously described. Here, we encapsulate stiff probiotic microorganisms within relatively less stiff hydrogels and show a generic mechanism where these microorganisms proliferate and induce hydrogel fracture, resulting in microbial release. Importantly, this fracture-based mechanism leads to microorganism release with zero-order release kinetics. Using this mechanism, small (∼1 μL) engineered living materials (ELMs) release >108 colony-forming-units (CFUs) of Escherichia coli in 2 h. This release is sustained for at least 100 days. Cell release can be varied by more than 3 orders of magnitude by varying initial cell loading and modulating the mechanical properties of the encapsulating matrix. As the governing mechanism of microbial release is entirely mechanical, we demonstrate the controlled release of model Gram-negative, Gram-positive, and fungal probiotics from multiple hydrogel matrices.

Keywords: controlled release; engineered living materials; probiotics; sustained release; zero-order release

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c11155

Lab Chip. 2025 Jul 10.

Active implantable drug delivery systems: engineering factors, challenges, opportunities.

Fabiana Del Bono, Nicola Di Trani, Danilo Demarchi, Alessandro Grattoni, Paolo Motto Ros.

Implantable drug delivery systems represent a transformative approach in modern pharmacology, offering precise and controlled drug administration tailored to individual patient needs. By circumventing physiological barriers such as the gastrointestinal tract and the blood-brain barrier, these systems enhance bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic side effects. Key features include sustained or on-demand drug release, remote activation, and programmable dosing, which collectively improve patient compliance and minimize the frequency of interventions. Innovations in actuation mechanisms, powering technologies, and biocompatible materials have advanced the field, enabling the development of miniaturized, energy-efficient, and scalable devices. Applications range from chronic disease management to localized therapies for neurological and cardiovascular conditions. Despite significant progress, challenges remain in integrating power systems, communication protocols, and regulatory compliance for clinical translation. This review synthesizes the current state of active implantable drug delivery systems, discussing engineering trade-offs, system requirements, and future research directions toward achieving reliable, patient-centered solutions to guide system designers toward developing reliable, scalable, and patient-centered solutions that bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and clinical application.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5lc00131e

Biotechnol Adv. 2025 Jul 07. pii: S0734-9750(25)00126-0. [Epub ahead of print]83 108640

Engineering encapsulated living bacteria for advanced healthcare management.

Ming Teng, Xiaomin Luo, Jiang Chang, Chen Yang, Xiaomeng Zhang, Liuying Li, Xudan Liu, Ruizhi Zhi, Xu Guo, Xinhua Liu.

Bacterial therapies are emerging as promising alternatives to conventional treatments, particularly in the areas of intestinal therapy, oncology, and wound management. However, gastric acid, bile salts, immune cells, and reactive oxygen species in the human body hinder the colonization and growth of foreign probiotics, thereby compromising the efficacy of bacteriotherapy. Recent advancements in engineering encapsulated live bacteria strategies utilizing biopolymers to construct protective shells on the bacterial surface to significantly address the aforesaid challenges have gained unprecedented attention. The scrumptious integration of multiple probiotic species, bioencapsulation biomaterials, and on-demand encapsulation technologies offers tremendous advantages over conventional living bacterial counterparts, such as precise targeting, rapid immune activation, and synergistic therapeutic effects. This review presents the essential natures and response mechanism selectivity for encapsulation biomaterials from the design perspective of engineered bacterial therapeutics, including pH-responsive, enzyme-responsive, and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive materials. Engineering bacterium requires a uniquely tailored design strategy within the polymer-targeted delivery platform. Meanwhile, the review provides an account of its recent developments and advancements in the biomedical fields, with emphasis on tissue repair, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-tumor, and other therapeutic applications. Finally, challenges and emerging trends in its clinical translation are expounded. By highlighting the potential of bacteria to revolutionise the therapeutic landscape, this review offers valuable insights into the design of innovative disease treatment paradigms and alternatives to conventional drug therapy, and facilitates the clinical applications of engineering encapsulated living bacteria.

Keywords: Encapsulation; Engineering encapsulated bacteria; Human-health management; bacteria therapies

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108640

Adv Mater. 2025 Jul 11. e2501761

Designing the Next Generation of Biomaterials through Nanoengineering.

Ryan Davis, Ishaan Duggal, Nicholas A Peppas, Akhilesh K Gaharwar.

Recent advances in biomaterials science have applied nanoengineering to develop biomaterials with superior properties and tailored functionalities. These unique attributes are achieved due to the ability of nanoengineering to provide precise control over material interactions with living systems at the molecular scale. Here, key nanotechnologies employed to develop the next generation of biomaterials are critically evaluated. A diverse range of nanomaterials, differing in base materials, shapes, sizes, or surface properties can be integrated into various fabrication processes to develop these advanced biomaterials. Further investigation is required into properties such as surface energy, defects, porosity, and crystallinity, as these critically influence the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of nanoengineered materials. Consequently, we explore diverse biomedical applications of nanoengineered biomaterials, including regenerative medicine, biomolecular delivery, additive manufacturing, immune engineering, cancer therapeutics, bioimaging, biosensing, antimicrobial devices, and tissue adhesives. Additionally, their current limitations are analyzed and emerging strategies for designing the next generation of nanoengineered biomaterials are highlighted.

Keywords: bioimaging; biomaterials; drug delivery; nanoengineering; regenerative medicine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202501761