Bacteria-grown functional amyloid bioink for 3D living
This technology provides a biological platform for growing functional materials directly from engineered bacteria. The bacteria are programmed to produce special structural proteins—originally found in extremophile microorganisms—that self-assemble into tough, fibrous networks. These protein networks can be tuned to bind specific molecules or perform useful chemical tasks, and they can be formed into hydrogels suitable for 3D printing. The result is a living, self-producing material system where the organisms themselves generate the raw structural material on demand.
What you could build
A bioink platform for 3D-printing living materials—sold to advanced materials companies, biotech manufacturers, or defense contractors—where the printable material is grown by engineered bacteria rather than chemically synthesized, enabling self-healing, sensor-functionalized, or environmentally responsive structures.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based defense contractors and biotech firms interested in next-generation materials for coatings, sensors, or biomanufacturing; also relevant to university spinout or DARPA-adjacent programs in living materials.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Anna Duraj-Thatte, Hoda Hammad, Avinash Manjula-Basavanna
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed August 7, 2025
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20260042805A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.