https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-022-01431-x Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Advertisement Advertisement Nature Biotechnology * View all journals * Search * My Account Login * Explore content * About the journal * Publish with us * Sign up for alerts * RSS feed 1. nature 2. nature biotechnology 3. news 4. article Cellulose shoes made by bacteria Download PDF * News * Published: 09 August 2022 BIOTECH LIVING Cellulose shoes made by bacteria * Lisa Melton^1 Nature Biotechnology volume 40, page 1163 (2022)Cite this article * 16k Accesses * 317 Altmetric * Metrics details This article has been updated You have full access to this article via your institution. Download PDF Download PDF For Hermes, the Greek god of speed, these bacterial sneakers would have been just the ticket. Modern Synthesis co-founders Jen Keane, CEO, and Ben Reeve, CTO, are now setting out to make them available to mere mortals, raising $4.1 million investment to scale up production. Keane, a graduate from Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London, and synthetic biologist Reeve, then at Imperial College London, set up Modern Synthesis in 2020 to pursue 'microbial weaving'. [41587_2022_1431_Figa_HTML] Credit: Tom Mannion Their goal is to produce a new class of material, a hybrid/composite that will replace animal- and petrochemical-made sneakers with a biodegradable, yet durable, alternative. The shoe's upper is made by bacteria that naturally produce nanocellulose--Komagataeibacter rhaeticus--and can be further genetically engineered to also self-dye by producing melanin for color. The process begins with a two-dimensional yarn scaffold shaped by robotics, which the scientists submerge in fermentation medium containing the cellulose-producing bacteria. The K. rhaeticus 'weave' the sneaker upper by depositing the biomaterial on the scaffold. Once the sheets emerge from their microbial baths, they are shaped on shoe lasts following traditional footwear techniques. "It's more than the sum of its parts," Reeves says of the biocomposite. "Initially the scaffold helps the bacteria grow, then the microbial yarn reinforces the material: it holds the scaffold together." Once the shoe is made, it is sterilized and the bacteria are washed out. Bacterial cellulose, Reeves explains, is already used in foods and in artificial skin and blood vessels, as well as for other industrial uses. "You don't need particularly expensive equipment, and you can aim for more localized manufacturing, the goal of the circular bioeconomy," says Reeve. To ensure this shoe has a chance to compete commercially, Modern Synthesis is working to build multigene systems into the high-cellulose-producing bacteria to add strength, stability and greater speed to the beta sheets they manufacture. "We have modelled it to be competitive with animal leather, eventually to be cheaper," says Reeve, who reveals that Modern Synthesis is in talks with several sportswear manufacturers. The project was made in collaboration with Tom Ellis's lab at Imperial College London. Change history * [INS: 18 August 2022 In the version of this article initially published online, there was an error in the spelling of the company name "Modern Synthesis," while the text has been updated to reflect that Keane is a graduate of Central Saint Martins, and that Modern Synthesis, made possible through collaboration with Imperial College, is in talks with several sportswear manufacturers. :INS] Author information Authors and Affiliations 1. Nature Biotechnology https://www.nature.com/nbt Lisa Melton Authors 1. Lisa Melton View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Rights and permissions Reprints and Permissions About this article Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark Cite this article Melton, L. Cellulose shoes made by bacteria. Nat Biotechnol 40, 1163 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01431-x Download citation * Published: 09 August 2022 * Issue Date: August 2022 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01431-x Share this article Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative You have full access to this article via your institution. 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