基于微生物的可控生物制造

Controllable bio-fabrication based on microbes

微生物种类丰富,尺寸涵盖纳米与微米级,是天然的可用于纳米、微米及多层次跨尺度加工的"基本单元"。目前的生物制造方法大多不适用于微生物活细胞,无法发挥其整体的生物学功能及优势。本研究探索并建立了微流控和磁控的可用于微生物活体的微纳米生物制造新方法,定位操纵和有序排列微生物活体。以微生物为微纳米机器人,诱发其特有的生物学功能,进行受控自组装等生物制造过程,由此有望设计和创制一系列新型特殊功能材料和器件。

Microorganisms in nature have rich variety, whose sizes are from nano scale to micro scale. Therefore, microbes can be used as natural ＂building blocks＂ in nano/micro multi-level fabrication processes. At present, most of the bio-manufacturing methods do not apply to direct control of living microbes. Their microbiological global functions and superiorities are not available. In this paper, two novel nano/micro bio-fabrication approaches, micro-fluidic control method and magnetic control method have been established. The living microbes could be manipulated to form micro-scaled patterns or to move orientedly. By these approaches, living microbes are taken as nano/micro robots. We could employ their specific biological functions and regulate their controllable self-assembly, which is expected to design and create a series of new special functional materials and devices.