Living Manufacture: Principles for a microbial 3D printer
We envisage a bioreactor containing a co-culture of cellulose producing bacterium and bacterium which, in response to a light (optogenetic input), can selectively produce pigments, compounds, biocatalysts and/or non-catalytic proteins. These additions can modify the cellulose molecular structure and result in various material properties.
We propose first steps to develop a 3D printing process which involves the synthesis and modification of biopolymers from live microbes to make 3D functionally graded materials and objects. The project will integrate genetically engineered microbes and the design and building of a novel bioreactor as a part of a new type of 3D printer. The project will establish the principles of a new industrial fabrication system based on controlled biological production of biopolymers through growth. This new biofabrication system will have potential applications in a wide range of areas, including biomedical applications, complex composites for high-performance manufacturing and novel consumer products.
Research Team: Thora H Arnardottir (RA), Joshua Loh (RA), Katie Gilmour (RA), Sunbin Lee (PhD), Meng Zhang (PI), Martyn Dade-Robertson (PI).
The Living Manufacture Project is funded by the EPSRC Manufacturing the Future (Grant Number: EP/V050710/1).
Publication and Dissemination Activities
Peer Reviewed Publications
Exhibitions
Robots that Build - Dutch Design Week (Eindhoven) exhibited a video installation showing the working system. (2022)
SynBioBeta (Oakland, California) Exhibited fabricator design, components and example materials to potential industry partners and investors. (2022)
BioFabricate (New York) Exhibited fabricator components and sample materials to an international audience of designers, industry representatives and academics. (2022)
Posters
Loh J, Arnardottir T, Dade-Robertson M, Zhang, M. Living Manufacture: A fabrication platform for producing functionally-graded bacterial cellulose, Synthetic Biology UK. (2021)
Gilmour K, Aljannat M, Markwell C, James P, Scott J, Jiang Y, Zhang M. Fibre Fusion, functionalized bacterial cellulose through a hydrophobic protein, Engineered Living Materials. (2022)
Loh J, Arnardottir T, Dade-Robertson M, Zhang, M. Living Manufacture: A fabrication platform for producing functionally-graded bacterial cellulose, Synthetic Biology UK. (2021)
Presentations
“Biological Robots?” Robots that Build Symposium, Eindhoven. (2022)
“Living Manufacture: Principles for a microbial 3D printer”, 5th International Conference on Structures and Architecture (Aalborg) (2022)
“Living Manufacture: Bio-digital Fabrication of Engineered Living Bacterial Cellulose”, Engineered Living Materials. (2022)
“Biodigital fabrication of functionally variegated bacterial cellulose”, Synthetic Biology UK. (2021)
“Fibre Fusion, functionalized bacterial cellulose through BslA”, Synthetic Biology UK. (2022)
“Fibre Fusion, functionalized bacterial cellulose through BslA”, Living Textile Architectures, UK. (2022)
(Keynote) “Modelling Across Scales in Biological Fabrication“. Design Modelling Symposium, Berlin. (2022)
Additional Activities
Design Sprint for Design for Planet Festival 2022 ‘Can we grow everything?’ Facilitated 2-day workshop with Masters students on future applications of our bio-fabrication technology.
