Scientists have created a new method for 3D printing living microbes

With a new technique that uses light to produce bacteria with a three-dimensional patternand

resin filled with bacteria, scientists have successfully printed artificial biofilms.The research team "lured" bacteria into three-dimensional structures using LED lightFrom 3D Printer Stereolithography Machine for Microbial Bioprinting (SLAM).The Stereolithography Projection Machine canPrint at a high resolution of about 18 microns – almost as thick as the diameterhuman cell.

In an article published in the magazineNano lettersThe researchers proved that this technology can be effectively used to create structurally defined microbial communities.They demonstrated the applicability of such 3D printed biofilms for uranium biosensitivity and the biodevelopment of rare earth elements, and showed how the geometry affectson the characteristics of the created materials.

Previous methods of biofilm production inlaboratories did not give scientists the ability to control microbial organization in the film, which limited the ability to fully understand the complex interactions observed in bacterial communities in the natural world. The ability to bioprint microbes in 3D will enable LLNL scientists to better observe how bacteria function in their natural habitat and explore technologies such as microbial electrosynthesis. During this process, bacteria feeding on electrons (electrotrophs) convert excess electricity during off-peak hours. hours for the production of biofuels and biochemical products.

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