Introduction: A living approach to wound healing
When we think of bandages, we imagine sterile fabrics and chemical creams. A new line of research, however, is turning to fungi to create living, multifunctional hydrogels that could serve as next-generation wound dressings. The key idea: use a mycelial network—the expansive, web-like structure fungi form underground—as a template for a multilayer hydrogel that can support tissue repair while managing moisture and nutrients at the wound site.
The star metabolite: Marquandomyces marquandii
University of Utah researchers are exploring Marquandomyces marquandii, a soil mold whose classification recently separated it into its own genus. This organism grows as a filamentous network and, under submerged liquid fermentation, forms a hydrogel that can retain significant water content while developing distinct multilayer porosity. Lead author Atul Agrawal notes that a hydrogel with living tissue-like properties could be a promising platform for biomedical applications, from tissue regeneration to wearable devices.
Layered porosity: a built-in microstructure
What makes this hydrogel especially intriguing is its multilayer structure. The researchers observed distinct porosity across layers: roughly 40 percent in the top stratum, with alternating bands around 90 percent and 70 percent in deeper layers. These layers arise as the fungus grows and adapts to its environment, changing growth rate and strategy. Such internal architecture could be tuned by adjusting growth conditions—oxygen availability, temperature, and nutrient supply—enabling customized mechanical properties and diffusion pathways for different clinical uses.
Why multilayered hydrogels matter for healing
Soft tissues in the body—skin, cartilage, and muscle—exhibit complex, layered mechanics. Hydrogels that mimic this stratification can better support cell growth, guide tissue formation, and manage the transmission of forces across the wound. Mycelial networks, composed largely of chitin, are inherently biocompatible and sponge-like, offering a balance of strength and pliability that could resist dehydration while promoting cellular ingrowth. The potential applications extend from scaffolds for tissue regeneration to cell culture supports and even protective wearables that interface with skin.
From lab bench to bedside: challenges and prospects
The path to clinical use is long. While M. marquandii shows promise, rigorous testing in animal models is essential to assess safety, biocompatibility, and any immune response. Fungal components like chitin can occasionally trigger rare allergies, so researchers must weigh benefits against risks and establish robust screening protocols. Beyond safety, practical questions remain: how will a living hydrogel be stored, activated, and sterilized? Can its properties be reliably controlled at scale for medical devices or dressings?
Potential biomedical pathways
In theory, living hydrogels could serve as templates for tissue scaffolds, guiding cell attachment and growth while gradually integrating with the host tissue. They might also function as bio-integrated dressings, maintaining an optimal moisture balance and delivering signaling molecules or nutrients to support healing. Additionally, the layered structure could be engineered to provide region-specific mechanical support—stronger zones where the wound experiences more stress and softer regions where delicate tissue forms.
What comes next
The current findings position M. marquandii as a novel material for biomedical applications, but there is still a long road ahead. Future work will likely focus on refining growth conditions to produce consistent, reproducible multilayer hydrogels, evaluating biocompatibility in vivo, and exploring scalable manufacturing methods. Collaboration across microbiology, materials science, and clinical medicine will be critical to translate these living hydrogels from the lab to real-world care.
Conclusion: A living material with healing potential
Fungi-based hydrogels represent a bold departure from conventional synthetic biomaterials. By leveraging the natural growth behaviors of M. marquandii and its multilayer porosity, researchers aim to craft bio-integrated hydrogels that emulate the complexity of human tissues. While it will take time to determine their safety and practicality, the work signals an exciting direction in wound healing and regenerative medicine—where living materials become partners in healing, not just scaffolds.
