We've seen how 3D-printing can change certain manufacturing processes, but there's a growing field of research looking at ways this can be applied to producing living, biological structures as well.
A new type of bioink made from programmed Escherichia colibacteria can be 3D-printed to create hydrogels that can be used to absorb toxins or release drugs.
This approach uses genetic programming to control the mechanical properties of the ink itself, which leads to better end results in the finished material and more practical uses for the ink.
There are examples of printed bioink. Joshi and her team wrote about Nature Communications in 2021.
"A tree has cells embedded within it and it goes from a seed to a tree by assimilating resources from its surroundings in order to build a structure-building program," says chemical biologist Neel Joshi from Northeastern University in Massachusetts.
We want to do the same thing, but we want to provide those programs in the form of DNA that we write and genetic engineering.
The way it works is by using the cells of the bacterium to make living things. The E. coli cells were combined with other substances to create the fibers.
3D-printers can be used to manipulate theProtein-based nanofibers into various shapes. This bioink is completely biological, and doesn't use any artificial substances. If it is kept from drying out, it can keep its form.
The technique has been used to make small objects such as a circle, a square, and a cone. The scientists have shown that the ink can be 3D-printed in this way.
If you dunk the whole cone into a solution of sugar, the cells will eat it and make more of the fiber, which will grow the cone into something bigger.
There is an option to use the fact that there are living cells there. Killing the cells can be used as an inert material.
The team was able to combine their bioink with other microbes to perform specific tasks, such as absorbing toxic chemicals or delivering an anti-cancer drug. The researchers say that in the future the ink could be self-replicating.
This study builds on previous work by the same team, looking at how E. coli cells could be formed into a hydrogel that self-replicates when it comes into contact with a particular tissue, opening up a new and sustainable method of manufacture that could be used on the Moon and Mars as
The bioink has only been used on a small scale so far, but it could be used in many other ways, from building self-healing structures to removing dangerous chemicals from water.
"Biology is able to do the same things as other sciences." Think about the differences between hair and horns on animals. They're made of the same materials, but they have different functions.
The research has been published.
