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Connecting material science and fungal biology

Fungal biotechnology is currently undergoing a renaissance and advances the transition from a petroleum-based economy into a bio-based circular economy. Its potential to sustainably produce textiles as well as materials for construction, furniture and transportation industries has the potential to significantly contribute to the United Nation’s sustainable development goals.

Fungal Biology and Biotechnology therefore welcomes research papers, review articles or primers to the Special Collection "Connecting material science and fungal biology". The aim of this collection is to provide fungal and material experts a forum for discussion on the multidisciplinary approaches important in the rapidly evolving field of fungal biomaterials, to highlight recent breakthroughs and to exchange ideas and visions. 

Of special interest are the following topics: 

  •  the exploration of fungal systems for the synthesis of composites, fibers, membranes, leather and other nanomaterials
  •  the biofabrication with fungi and fungi with other microorganisms
  •  the development of spalted or bioengineered wood with fungi
  •  the development and application of fungal biomaterials in architecture and construction industries
  •  the recycling of fungal biomaterials
  •  the potential implications of fungal biomaterials on our society 

Edited by Vera Meyer, Berlin University of Technology, Germany

  1. Mycelium-bound composites are potential alternatives to conventional materials for a variety of applications, including thermal and acoustic building panels and product packaging. If the reactions of live myce...

    Authors: Neil Phillips, Antoni Gandia and Andrew Adamatzky
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2023 10:8
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. To obtain special wood properties for various technical applications, fungi with their broad spectrum of activity can make a contribution. The foundations for today's mycological wood modifications were laid b...

    Authors: Stephanie Stange and André Wagenführ
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2022 9:7
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

  4. Filamentous fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota are considered as an attractive source for the biotechnological production of composite materials. The ability of many basidiomycetes to accept residual lignocellu...

    Authors: Carsten Pohl, Bertram Schmidt, Tamara Nunez Guitar, Sophie Klemm, Hans-Jörg Gusovius, Stefan Platzk, Harald Kruggel-Emden, Andre Klunker, Christina Völlmecke, Claudia Fleck and Vera Meyer
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2022 9:4
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Sustainable fungal materials have a high potential to replace non-sustainable materials such as those used for packaging or as an alternative for leather and textile. The properties of fungal materials depend ...

    Authors: Jeroen G. van den Brandhof and Han A. B. Wösten
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2022 9:3
    Content type: Review Published on:

  6. Biological pigmentation is one of the most intriguing traits of many fungi. It holds significance to scientists, as a sign of biochemical metabolism and organism-environment interaction, and to artists, as the...

    Authors: Sunanda Sharma and Vera Meyer
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2022 9:1
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Recent efforts in fungal biotechnology aim to develop new concepts and technologies that convert renewable plant biomass into innovative biomaterials. Hereby, plant substrates become metabolized by filamentous...

    Authors: Huaiyou Chen, Amanmyrat Abdullayev, Maged F. Bekheet, Bertram Schmidt, Isabel Regler, Carsten Pohl, Cekdar Vakifahmetoglu, Mathias Czasny, Paul H. Kamm, Vera Meyer, Aleksander Gurlo and Ulla Simon
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2021 8:21
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. In the context of the ongoing transition from a linear to a circular economy, ecologically friendly renewable solutions are put in place. Filamentous fungi can be grown on various organic feedstocks and functi...

    Authors: Simon Vandelook, Elise Elsacker, Aurélie Van Wylick, Lars De Laet and Eveline Peeters
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2021 8:20
    Content type: PRIMER Published on:

  10. While mycelium is considered a promising alternative for fossil-based resins in lignocellulosic materials, the mechanical properties of mycelium composite materials remain suboptimal, among other reasons due t...

    Authors: Elise Elsacker, Simon Vandelook, Bastien Damsin, Aurélie Van Wylick, Eveline Peeters and Lars De Laet
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2021 8:18
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Fungal biomaterials are becoming increasingly popular in the fields of architecture and design, with a significant bloom of projects having taken place during the last 10 years. Using mycelium as a stabilizing...

    Authors: Dimitra Almpani-Lekka, Sven Pfeiffer, Christian Schmidts and Seung-il Seo
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2021 8:17
    Content type: Review Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2022 9:13

  12. Concrete is the most used construction material worldwide due to its abundant availability and inherent ease of manufacturing and application. However, the material bears several drawbacks such as the high sus...

    Authors: Aurélie Van Wylick, Antonielle Vieira Monclaro, Elise Elsacker, Simon Vandelook, Hubert Rahier, Lars De Laet, David Cannella and Eveline Peeters
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2021 8:16
    Content type: Review Published on:

  13. Material development based on fungal mycelium is a fast-rising field of study as researchers, industry, and society actively search for new sustainable materials to address contemporary material challenges. Th...

    Authors: Noam Attias, Achiya Livne and Tiffany Abitbol
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2021 8:12
    Content type: Meeting Report Published on:

  14. A fungal skin is a thin flexible sheet of a living homogeneous mycelium made by a filamentous fungus. The skin could be used in future living architectures of adaptive buildings and as a sensing living skin fo...

    Authors: Andrew Adamatzky, Antoni Gandia and Alessandro Chiolerio
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2021 8:6
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. Fungi have the ability to transform organic materials into a rich and diverse set of useful products and provide distinct opportunities for tackling the urgent challenges before all humans. Fungal biotechnolog...

    Authors: Vera Meyer, Evelina Y. Basenko, J. Philipp Benz, Gerhard H. Braus, Mark X. Caddick, Michael Csukai, Ronald P. de Vries, Drew Endy, Jens C. Frisvad, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Thomas Haarmann, Yitzhak Hadar, Kim Hansen, Robert I. Johnson, Nancy P. Keller, Nada Kraševec…
    Citation: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 2020 7:5
    Content type: Review Published on: