Reviewed by Lexie CornerApr 17 2025
Engineers from Montana State University have developed a new building material made from fungus mycelium and bacterial cells. Their research shows that this low-temperature, living-cell-based material has self-repairing properties and could be a sustainable alternative to high-emission construction materials like concrete.
Biomineralized materials do not have high enough strength to replace concrete in all applications, but we and others are working to improve their properties so they can see greater usage.
Chelsea Heveran, Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Montana State University
Unlike similar biomaterials that typically remain viable for only a few days or weeks, the materials developed by Heveran’s team (made from fungal mycelium and bacteria) retain their functionality for at least a month.
This is exciting, because we would like for the cells to be able to perform other functions.
Chelsea Heveran, Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Montana State University
When the bacteria remain alive within the material for extended periods, their cells may have more time to perform beneficial functions, such as self-repair or contamination removal. While self-healing and remediation were not tested in this study, the enhanced viability of these materials provides a basis for these capabilities.
Materials made from previously living organisms are beginning to enter the commercial market, but those composed of still-living organisms have been challenging to optimize. This is partly due to their limited viability and partly because they often lack the complex internal structures needed for many construction applications.
To address these challenges, the team, led by first author Ethan Viles of Montana State University, explored the use of fungal mycelium as a scaffold for biomineralized materials, inspired by its previous use in packaging and insulation. The researchers used the fungus species Neurospora crassa and found that it could be used to create materials with a variety of complex architectures.
We learned that fungal scaffolds are quite useful for controlling the internal architecture of the material. We created internal geometries that looked like cortical bone, but moving forward, we could potentially construct other geometries too.
Chelsea Heveran, Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Montana State University
The researchers aim for their new biomaterials to serve as alternatives to high-carbon-footprint construction materials, such as cement, which contributes up to 8 % of global human-generated carbon dioxide emissions. The next step is to optimize these materials further by extending the lifespan of the cells and developing methods for efficient large-scale manufacturing.
This study was funded by the National Science Foundation.
Journal Reference:
Viles, E., et al. (2025). Mycelium as a scaffold for biomineralized engineered living materials. Cell Reports Physical Science. doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102517.