Stroke and sleep apnea in a family with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL)

Biopolymers have been widely used in the last decades for the preparation of biomaterials for numerous biomedical applications such as tissue engineering or regenerative medicine. In the last years, biomaterials have advanced from inert materials to biologically active materials that can interact with the surrounding cells or tissues. The growing field of engineered living materials that combine living cells with a matrix or scaffold has emerged from this idea. Biopolymers have demonstrated a clear potential to develop advanced design and performance of living materials for numerous applications such as probiotics, biosensors, skin patches, or drug-eluting materials. This chapter offers an overview of the use of different biopolymers to prepare engineered living materials that incorporate microorganisms as the living bioactive component. We will focus on the pioneering advances in the design of the material as well as on the encapsulation techniques applied, such as electrospinning, 3D printing, or microfluidics. Furthermore, ongoing challenges and future trends in the area of engineered living biomaterials are concluded.