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Engineered Living Materials (ELM)
Where biology meets materials science
Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) represent a new generation of materials that do more than passively exist — they live, respond, and adapt. By integrating synthetic biology, advanced material science, and design research, ELMs bring the dynamic functions of living systems into the surfaces and objects we interact with every day.
Unlike conventional materials, which are static, ELMs can sense changes, respond to stress, regenerate after damage, and even provide therapeutic benefits. This makes them uniquely suited to address some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare, sustainability, and daily life.
At NextSkins, our research explores two main approaches within ELMs:
Living Therapeutic Materials (LTM) — designed to heal and protect.
Living Regenerative Materials (LRM) — designed to renew and rebuild.
Together, these directions create a platform for skin-inspired technologies that blur the boundaries between biology and design.
Nextskins ELM 1
Living Theurapatic Materials for Skin
Living Regenerative Materials for Protective Applications
Nextskins ELM 2
Living Therapeutic Materials (LTM)
Healing materials for active care
Traditional materials in healthcare — like bandages, implants, or textiles — are mostly passive. They cover, support, or protect, but they don’t act. Living Therapeutic Materials change this. They are designed to sense what’s happening in their environment and respond with a therapeutic effect.
What makes them different
LTMs can combine protective, sensing, and healing functions in one material. For example, an engineered textile might not only protect a wound from infection, but also detect early signs of inflammation and release healing molecules directly to the affected area. This makes treatment more targeted, efficient, and responsive than conventional approaches.
Key characteristics of LTM include:
Protection
Acting as a shield against external stressors, from microbes to environmental damage.
Sensing
Detecting biological signals such as inflammation or infection.
Therapeutic action
Releasing beneficial molecules, soothing damaged tissue, or combating disease at the source.
Scientific foundation
LTMs often integrate synthetic biology (engineered living cells), advanced biomaterials (hydrogels, polymers, nanofibers), and sometimes bioelectronics for signal detection. These components work together as “layers” — protection, sensing, and therapeutic response — much like the layers of skin itself.
Examples of potential applications:
Smart wound dressings that speed up skin recovery by releasing growth factors or antimicrobials when triggered.
Implants that reduce infection risk by actively fighting bacteria inside the body.
Wearable textiles that monitor skin conditions such as eczema and adjust their therapeutic output accordingly.
In short, LTMs transform materials from being passive barriers into active partners in healthcare.
Challenges ahead
The potential of LTMs is huge, but there are hurdles. Researchers must ensure that living cells are safe, stable, and biocompatible over time. Dosage control and precision delivery are also crucial to avoid side effects. Despite these challenges, LTMs open the door to a new generation of materials that actively participate in healing.
Living Regenerative Materials (LRM)
From repair to renewal
While LTMs focus on protecting and healing, Living Regenerative Materials go a step further: they are built to restore what has been lost. Inspired by natural regeneration — like the way skin closes a wound or some animals regrow tissue — LRMs are designed to renew themselves or to guide the body to rebuild.
What makes them different
LRMs are not just supportive scaffolds, but active, living systems. They can recruit the body’s own cells, provide the right biological signals, and gradually replace themselves with natural tissue. In other cases, they can self-repair when damaged, extending their own lifespan without replacement.
Key characteristics of LRM include:
Regeneration
Repairing or replacing damaged cells and tissues.
Self-repair
Materials that can fix themselves after wear or damage.
Integration with the body
Working in harmony with biological systems for long-term resilience.
Scientific foundation
LRMs are rooted in tissue engineering and biomimicry. They often use engineered extracellular matrix (ECM)-like materials, living cells, and smart polymers that support regeneration. Some LRMs may even self-assemble, mimicking how biological tissues organize themselves in nature.
Examples of potential applications:
Tissue scaffolds that help bone or skin regrow after injury.
Self-healing materials that repair small cracks or tears automatically.
Regenerative textiles that adapt to stress and restore their properties over time.
LRMs bring us closer to a future where materials aren’t disposable, but sustainable, self-sufficient, and regenerative — much like the skin we are born with.
Challenges ahead
The promise of LRMs is transformative, but the path is complex. Scientists must carefully control regeneration to avoid uncontrolled growth. Integration with the body must be seamless to prevent immune rejection. And from a design perspective, LRMs must balance being robust enough for daily use yet flexible enough to interact with biology.
A new vision for sustainability
Beyond medicine, LRMs also point to a more sustainable future. Imagine construction materials that heal cracks without human intervention, or everyday textiles that repair themselves instead of being thrown away. LRMs show us that regeneration is not just a biological process — it can be a design principle for the world we build.
Why both approaches matter
By exploring both LTMs and LRMs, NextSkins is building a platform technology for engineered living materials.
LTMs focus on immediate therapeutic benefits — supporting the body in healing and protecting itself.
LRMs focus on long-term renewal — enabling materials and tissues to regrow and regenerate.
Together, these approaches demonstrate how ELMs can fundamentally reshape how we think about healthcare, sustainability, and design. They show us a future where the materials around us are no longer passive, but living interfaces that evolve with our needs.
