Coral
reef degradation is a rising problem, driven by marine heatwaves,
the spread of coral diseases, and human impact by overfishing and
pollution. Our capacity to restore coral reefs lags behind in terms
of scale, effectiveness, and cost-efficiency. While common restoration
efforts rely on the formation of carbonate skeletons on structural
frames for supported coral growth, this technique is a rate-limiting
step in the growth of scleractinian corals. Reverse engineering and
additive manufacturing technologies offer an innovative shift in approach
from the use of concrete blocks and metal frames to sophisticated
efforts that use scanned geometries of harvested corals to fabricate
artificial coral skeletons for installation in coral gardens and reefs.
Herein, we present an eco-friendly and sustainable approach for coral
fabrication by merging three-dimensional (3D) scanning, 3D printing,
and molding techniques. Our method, 3D CoraPrint, exploits the 3D
printing technology to fabricate artificial natural-based coral skeletons,
expediting the growth rate of live coral fragments and quickening
the reef transplantation process while minimizing nursery costs. It
allows for flexibility, customization, and fast return time with an
enhanced level of accuracy, thus establishing an environmentally friendly,
scalable model for coral fabrication to boost restorative efforts
around the globe.
Many applications of synthetic biology require biological systems in engineered microbes to be delivered into diverse environments, such as for in situ bioremediation, biosensing, and applications in medicine and agriculture. To avoid harming the target system (whether that is a farm field or the human gut), such applications require microbial biocontainment systems (MBSs) that inhibit the proliferation of engineered microbes. In the past decade, diverse molecular strategies have been implemented to develop MBSs that tightly control the proliferation of engineered microbes; this has enabled medical, industrial, and agricultural applications in which biological processes can be executed in situ. The customization of MBSs also facilitate the integration of sensing modules for which different compounds can be produced and delivered upon changes in environmental conditions. These achievements have accelerated the generation of novel microbial systems capable of responding to external stimuli with limited interference from the environment. In this review, we provide an overview of the current approaches used for MBSs, with a specific focus on applications that have an immediate impact on multiple fields.
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