What looks like ordinary mold could transform biomedical science.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the University of Utah have found that a common soil mold, Marquandomyces marquandii, may be the foundation for future biomedical materials.<\/p>\n
This fungus, usually seen as an ordinary decomposer, shows a remarkable ability to grow into hydrogels, the materials that hold water and mimic the softness of human tissue.<\/p>\n
That discovery could pave the way for advances in tissue regeneration, cell scaffolding, or flexible medical devices.<\/p>\n
Unlike other fungi that lose water easily, M. marquandii produces thick, multilayered hydrogels that can absorb up to 83 percent water while bouncing back under stress.<\/p>\n
Atul Agrawal, the lead author of the study, said: \u201cWhat you are seeing here is a hydrogel with multilayers. It\u2019s visible to the naked eye, and these multiple layers have different porosity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nature\u2019s blueprint for innovation<\/p>\n
Agrawal, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering, worked with senior author Steven Naleway, who studies biological materials for engineering use.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one in particular was able to grow these big, beefy mycelial layers, which is what we are interested in,\u201d said Naleway. \u201cMycelium is made primarily out of chitin, which is similar to what\u2019s in seashells and insect exoskeletons.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team believes the natural properties of mycelium make it biocompatible and adaptable. In theory, it could even be mineralized into bone scaffolding.<\/p>\n
Fungi have long been valuable to science, giving the world penicillin and other life-changing compounds. Naleway and his collaborators now see them as a frontier for structural and biomedical innovation.<\/p>\n
Working with mycologist Bryn Dentinger, the group has catalogued how fungal hyphae, threadlike structures that grow endlessly when nutrients are present, create unique strength and flexibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs they grow forward, they lay down these cross walls that then compartmentalize a really long filament into many, many individual cells,\u201d said Dentinger. \u201cThey will grow forever as long as there\u2019s enough nutrition around.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lucky fungal twist<\/p>\n
The discovery of M. marquandii\u2019s hydrogel potential came by accident. Researchers were initially studying what they thought was a fuel-contaminating \u201ckerosene fungus.\u201d But its strange layered growth caught their attention. Dentinger later identified the mold correctly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt highlights the state of mycology because we only have a handle on such a small proportion of the fungi,\u201d Dentinger said. \u201cMisidentifying something is just part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Further experiments confirmed the fungus<\/a> could recover 93 percent of its shape and strength after repeated stress, outperforming other commonly studied species like Ganoderma and Pleurotus.<\/p>\n \u201cFor it to be able to hold this structure together, this entire mycelium colony is connected together,\u201d Agrawal said. \u201cIt helps distribute the stress concentration between layers.\u201d<\/p>\n The Utah team is now seeking patent protection for its discovery, hoping to take fungal hydrogels<\/a> from the lab to real-world biomedical applications.<\/p>\n