Project description
The evolution of phytomorphic living materials
Modern engineering often struggles to create materials that grow and change like living things. Current living materials are limited because their synthetic foundations remain static while the biological components evolve. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RE-PHORM project will address this by developing fully adaptive phytomorphic origami-based living materials. By embedding plant cells in hydrogel scaffolds, the project will harness natural growth to trigger movement. Specifically, plant enzymes will initiate chemical reactions at origami hinges, causing the structure to fold and transform. Additional objectives include creating sustainable, self-repairing constructs that bridge biology and technology, paving the way for a future of responsive materials that evolve alongside their environments.
Objective
The morphogenesis ability of living organisms has inspired the field of Engineering Living Materials (ELM), a new branch of materials science that exploit the self-assembling, dynamic and evolving abilities of living systems to create constructs with adaptive and responsive characteristics. However, most current ELM designs remain limited by the static nature of the supporting synthetic materials, whereas the living part grows and evolves in response to external stimuli. This mismatch between biological morphogenesis and passive structural conformation of the material is also accompanied by a lack of long-term stability and self-repair capabilities, as the current state-of-the-art in ELMs primarily relies on microbial systems and engineered biofilms. The RE-PHORM project introduces a new paradigm of ELMs, in the form of responsive and evolving, phytomorphic origami-inspired living materials. The project aims to control and direct cell morphogenesis to trigger structural transitions in biohybrid, hydrogel-based scaffolds, designed in the form of origami-inspired conformations. This will be achieved by first optimizing the scaffold design in terms of hydrogel formulation and origami’s hinges patterning. Following scaffold design, embedding and spatial control of plant cell growth will be implemented through the application of environmental cues. The conformational change of the origami will be mediated by plant cell-secreted enzymes, i.e. peroxidases, which will initiate hinge-localized polymerization, eventually leading to the origami folding actuation. By combining the engineered morphogenesis of plant cells with innovative polymerization strategies, RE-PHORM envisions a new class of shape-morphing materials with self-evolving and adaptive properties, bridging the gap between living and non-living systems and paving the way for the development sustainable and responsive constructs.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering control systems
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
581 83 Linkoping
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.