Integrating Engineered Living Materials with 3D Bioprinting

Abstract

Engineered living materials (ELMs) are an emerging class of biohybrid materials with genetically programmable functionalities. Integrating ELMs with 3D bioprinting synergizes their biological programmability with the geometry-driven functionality of 3D-printed constructs, transforming these materials into practical products and engineering solutions. This integration also introduces a new paradigm in additive manufacturing that harnesses the “livingness” of encapsulated microorganisms as an active element in the fabrication process to create adaptive and evolving 3D constructs. This Perspective presents recent advances in 3D bioprinting and discusses current developments at the intersection of 3D bioprinting and ELMs. It highlights opportunities at the interface of these two emerging fields, including understanding the interactions between living and nonliving components of ELMs for bioink design, incorporating synthetic biology into bioprinting workflows, utilizing microbial growth as a postprinting fabrication process, and integrating shape-morphing materials to enable the 4D printing of ELMs.