Optoregulated Drug Release from an Engineered Living Hydrogel

Abstract

A living hydrogel has been developed with metabolically and optogenetically engineered E. coli encapsulated within an agarose-based hydrogel matrix to produce and release deoxyviolacein in response to blue light irradiation. Localized, tunable and prolonged drug release have been demonstrated.<br>

Engineering Gelation Kinetics in Living Silk Hydrogels by Differential Dynamic Microscopy Microrheology and Machine Learning

“…Bacteria are an attractive option for adding biological function to materials due to their robustness and genetic tractability. Previous reports include embedding Bacillus sphaericus in hydrogels for calcium carbonate precipitation for self‐healing concrete, [ 16 ] E. coli [ 17 ] and B. subtilis [ 18 ] into 3D printing matrices for programmable secretion of biomolecules, E. coli into polyacrylamide and agarose for sustained secretion of drugs, [ 19 ] E. coli into polyvinyl alcohol for heavy metal toxicity biosensing, [ 1 ] and Pseudomonas putida and A. xylinum into hyaluronic acid, fumed silica, and κ‐carrageenan for bioremediation and in situ production of bacterial nanocellulose. [ 20 ]…”

Hybrid Living Materials: Digital Design and Fabrication of 3D Multimaterial Structures with Programmable Biohybrid Surfaces

“…The platform overview presents the integrated framework for the controlled fabrication of HLMs, comprising computational design, digital fabrication, and genetic engineering techniques ( Figure ). The biohybrid face mask featured in this example was digitally modeled to custom fit a human face and produce a prescribed biological response (i.e., colored patterning indicating locally tunable gene‐regulated protein expression), demonstrating a potential use as a delivery system for topical therapies relating to site‐specific and custom facial devices and bacterial therapies …”

Transmitter and Receiver Architectures for Molecular Communications: A Survey on Physical Design With Modulation, Coding, and Detection Techniques

“…A promising approach is to utilize IM production mechanisms of bacteria in nanomaterial-based transmitter architectures. In this direction, Sankaran et al [119] report on an optogenetically controlled living hydrogel, that is, a permeable hydrogel matrix embedded with bacteria from an endotoxin-free E. coli strain, which releases IMs, i.e., antimicrobial and antitumoral drug deoxyviolacein, in a light-regulated manner. The hydrogel matrix is permeable to deoxyviolacein; however, it spatially restricts the movement of the bacteria.…”