Implantable living materials autonomously deliver therapeutics using contained engineered bacteria.
Saved in:
| Title: | Implantable living materials autonomously deliver therapeutics using contained engineered bacteria. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Harimoto, Tetsuhiro (AUTHOR), Herrero Quevedo, Fernando (AUTHOR), Zillig, Janis (AUTHOR), Schreiber, Sanjay (AUTHOR), Wu, Yi (AUTHOR), Ahn, Christine Heera (AUTHOR), To, Tania (AUTHOR), Thakur, Rohan (AUTHOR), Tatara, Alexander M. (AUTHOR), Kang, Shawn (AUTHOR), Chen, Zheqi (AUTHOR), Lafuente-Gómez, Nuria (AUTHOR), Hanan, Blake (AUTHOR), Pauer, Alexander (AUTHOR), Lightbown, Shanda (AUTHOR), Weitz, David A. (AUTHOR), Mooney, David J. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science. 5/14/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6799, p729-734. 6p. |
| Subjects: | Bacterial genetic engineering, Hydrogels, Controlled release drugs, Drug delivery systems, Genetic engineering, Prosthesis-related infections, Artificial implants |
| Abstract: | Microbes are increasingly used as living therapeutics, yet their uncontrolled dissemination in the body has remained a clinical roadblock. Physical containment remains largely unattainable owing to eventual bacteria escape. In this work, we present an implantable material that encapsulates and confines bacteria, wherein synthetically engineered microbes produce therapeutic payloads from within. We developed a hydrogel scaffold with dual mechanical features: high stiffness to regulate bacterial proliferation and high toughness to resist material fracture under physiological stress. This design achieved complete bacterial containment for 6 months and withstood multiple forms of mechanical loading that otherwise caused catastrophic material failure. By genetically engineering embedded bacteria, we endowed the material with environmental sensing and on-demand therapeutic release capabilities and demonstrated autonomous treatment in a murine prosthetic joint infection model. Editor's summary: Engineered bacteria could serve as a source of long-term drug delivery, but they tend to escape confinement because of their small size and robust viability. Harimoto et al. created a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel matrix engineered for both high stiffness and high toughness that can contain bacteria without killing them off (see the Perspective by Chen and Hu). The hydrogel is used to trap engineered Escherichia coli that expresses a sense-and-respond genetic circuit designed to trigger the release of a protein antibiotic to clear Pseudomonas infection. This system was tested in vivo over a 6-month period, revealing positive treatment outcomes in a murine joint infection model. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Microbes are increasingly used as living therapeutics, yet their uncontrolled dissemination in the body has remained a clinical roadblock. Physical containment remains largely unattainable owing to eventual bacteria escape. In this work, we present an implantable material that encapsulates and confines bacteria, wherein synthetically engineered microbes produce therapeutic payloads from within. We developed a hydrogel scaffold with dual mechanical features: high stiffness to regulate bacterial proliferation and high toughness to resist material fracture under physiological stress. This design achieved complete bacterial containment for 6 months and withstood multiple forms of mechanical loading that otherwise caused catastrophic material failure. By genetically engineering embedded bacteria, we endowed the material with environmental sensing and on-demand therapeutic release capabilities and demonstrated autonomous treatment in a murine prosthetic joint infection model. Editor's summary: Engineered bacteria could serve as a source of long-term drug delivery, but they tend to escape confinement because of their small size and robust viability. Harimoto et al. created a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel matrix engineered for both high stiffness and high toughness that can contain bacteria without killing them off (see the Perspective by Chen and Hu). The hydrogel is used to trap engineered Escherichia coli that expresses a sense-and-respond genetic circuit designed to trigger the release of a protein antibiotic to clear Pseudomonas infection. This system was tested in vivo over a 6-month period, revealing positive treatment outcomes in a murine joint infection model. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.aec2071 |
