Abstract

Photosynthetic biomaterials have emerged as a promising approach for delivering oxygen and other bioactive molecules in several biomedical applications. This technology is based on the use of standard biomaterials loaded with photosynthetic cells for the controlled release of oxygen at the target site. However, as well as for other cell-based approaches, a main drawback for their clinical translation is the low shelf-life of living materials. Here, the potential of inducing a dormant hibernation-inspired state to preserve photosynthetic biomaterials for clinical applications is explored. First, a protocol to preserve microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is optimized and then applied to photosynthetic scaffolds, showing that the viability and functionality of the biomaterial is preserved for up to 6 weeks. To evaluate the clinical viability of this approach, both fresh and preserved photosynthetic scaffolds are implanted in a full-skin defect mouse model. The safety of this approach is evaluated and confirmed by several means, including clinical parameters, histological assays, and local and systemic molecular analysis. Altogether, for the first time the successful preservation of photosynthetic biomaterials through a hibernation-inspired strategy is described here, which could have a tremendous impact for the clinical translation of these materials as well as other photosynthetic therapies. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.