Bioengineered organs are no longer just structural substitutes. A new review published in Trends in Biotechnology introduces a groundbreaking concept: biohybrid-engineered tissue (BHET) platforms—living constructs integrated with electronics that can monitor, modulate, and even autonomously control their own functions.
The review, authored by Dr. Uijung Yong (Future IT Innovation Laboratory, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)), Jihwan Kim (Department of Mechanical Engineering, POSTECH), and Prof. Jinah Jang (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Convergence IT Engineering, and School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, POSTECH), outlines how recent advances in biofabrication and biomedical electronics have pushed tissue engineering into new frontiers. Traditional bioengineered organs have been limited in their ability to replicate the complex and dynamic nature of human organs. BHET platforms aim to change that by turning passive constructs into intelligent systems.
The authors classify BHET platforms into three main types:
- Tissue-sensor platforms capture real-time physiological data, such as electrical activity or metabolite levels, offering continuous insights into tissue health and function.
- Tissue-electromodulator platforms actively control tissue behavior using targeted electrical stimulation, accelerating tissue maturation or modulating hormone release.
- Tissue-communicator platforms integrate both sensing and stimulation to enable closed-loop feedback, allowing tissues to adapt autonomously to environmental cues, much like living organs do.
These systems have already shown promise in diverse applications: brain organoids learning through neural feedback, cardiac tissues synchronizing contractions with external pacing, and engineered β cells releasing insulin in response to electrical signals. Such platforms blur the line between biology and machine, turning tissues into responsive and programmable devices.
The review also explores future directions, including AI-driven control systems, conductive hydrogel electrodes, and scalable 3D bioprinting techniques that can bring intelligent tissue platforms closer to clinical applications.
"By incorporating bioelectronics into tissue engineering, we can create more functional and intelligent bioengineered organs," said Prof. Jinah Jang. "Combining this with AI-based analytics will allow bioengineered organs to autonomously monitor and regulate their functions with unprecedented precision."
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government, the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the NRF funded by the Korean Government, and the Bio Industry Technology Development Program funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy.
