In this section
@article{Ivars:2026,
author = {Ivars, J and Gurung, J and Gispert, I and Sachet-Fernandez, G and Sun, Y and Paez-Perez, M and Ces, O and Woscholski, R and Contini, C and Elani, Y},
title = {Decorating bacteria with electrostatically bound liposomes as programmable extracellular functional compartments},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Living cells are powerful programmable systems, yet efforts to engineer them are limited by the constraints of genetic modification, including metabolic burden, restricted chemical diversity of biomolecular systems, and slow, gene expression–driven responses. Complementary approaches augmenting cells without altering their genome offer an attractive route to expand their functionality. Here, we establish a strategy for equipping bacteria with synthetic extracellular organelle-like compartments by electrostatically assembling liposomes onto the surface of Escherichia coli. This approach yields stable, multi-compartment, high-density coatings without genetic or covalent modification, while preserving bacterial growth, gene expression, and motility. We show that these surface-bound liposomes can function as modular ompartments that operate alongside the cell, enabling capabilities that are difficult to realize genetically, including thermoresponsive cargo release and abiotic catalytic activity. Together, this work shows that bacteria–liposome biohybrids can be engineered with appended, tunable synthetic compartments to expand the functional repertoire of living cells.
AU - Ivars,J
AU - Gurung,J
AU - Gispert,I
AU - Sachet-Fernandez,G
AU - Sun,Y
AU - Paez-Perez,M
AU - Ces,O
AU - Woscholski,R
AU - Contini,C
AU - Elani,Y
PY - 2026///
SN - 2198-3844
TI - Decorating bacteria with electrostatically bound liposomes as programmable extracellular functional compartments
ER -
Interested in studying a PhD at the Department of Life Sciences? Find out more about postgraduate research opportunties.