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Harnessing Microbial Biomineralization for Advanced Materials and Precision Medicine

Biogeomagnetism,biomineralization,nanotechnology,precision medicine

Theme 5: Life-Mineral Interaction and Evolutions > Session 5a: Microbe-mineral Interactions and Their Biosignatures: Integrating Laboratory Data with Field Insights

Microorganisms represent the earliest life forms on Earth, exhibiting unparalleled diversity and a comprehensive range of metabolic functions. Over the course of 3.8 billion years of co-evolution with our planet, microbial mineralization has played a pivotal role in shaping Earth’s systems. On one hand, this process drives global elemental cycling and contributes to the transformation of surface environments; on the other, microorganisms utilize their biomineralized products to sense environmental signals, adapt to extreme conditions, and respond to environmental changes. The microbe/nano-mineral interface represents the fundamental site for matter and energy exchange at the smallest scale on Earth, serving as a key model for understanding biomineralization, biomagnetism, and geobiological principles. Additionally, it holds great promise in advanced materials research. However, the inherent structural homogeneity of natural microbe/nano-mineral interfaces significantly limits their application potential.

In this study, we employed an interdisciplinary approach to engineer and functionalize microbe/nano-mineral interfaces, elucidating the chemical mechanisms of microbial mineralization and the regulatory effects of environmental factors on electron transfer during the process. Leveraging microbial mineralization, we successfully synthesized noble metal nano-minerals, including bio-gold, bio-silver, bio-platinum, and bio-palladium, as well as magnetic nano-minerals such as bio-magnetite and bio-Prussian blue under laboratory conditions. These engineered materials were further applied in tumor-targeted therapy, demonstrating remarkable potential in precise drug delivery and hyperthermia treatment. Our findings establish a bridge between geoscience and biomedicine, offering novel strategies for functional material design and precision medicine.