Functional Biomaterials Through Biocooperation

There is a growing need to develop materials that can recreate the inherent structural and functional complexity of living systems. These environments are increasingly needed both in vitro to better screen drugs and therapies, and in vivo to overcome key challenges of regenerative medicine that continue to limit broad impact in the clinic. In this perspective, we argue that it is time to go beyond bioinspiration and design materials by working with biological and regenerative mechanisms that Nature has evolved and established. In this biocooperative approach, biology is not seen as a template to copy, but rather as a partner to engage with, by harnessing biomolecules and biological mechanisms as building-blocks and fabrication processes of materials. The manuscript also summarizes studies describing the use of recombinant technologies to produce biomolecules as material building-blocks, incorporating living systems within synthetic matrices to create engineered living biomaterials, and integrating synthetic building blocks with cellular processes to produce regenerative materials. These examples illustrate the potential for a new biocooperative material paradigm, opening the door for more accessible and functional personalized biomaterials.