Dynamic Biomaterials

We study and orchestrate how synthetic materials interact with living cells. We engineer cell-instructive environments and material-based solutions for zero-waste therapeutic solutions

Our group develops hydrogel materials with programmed and tunable properties designed to encapsulate and instruct living cells. We study how living cells and inert matter interact and how these interactions can be exploited to direct cellular functions and ultimately result in therapeutic advantages. We cooperate with synthetic biologists, biophysicists, drug developers and clinicians to explore the application potential of our developments, with a focus on new materials for ophthalmic drug delivery. We contribute to INM’s competence fields opto-interactive and bio-intelligent materials. Our research addresses biomedical needs.

Prof. Dr. Aránzazu del Campo
Prof. Dr. Aránzazu del Campo
Head of Dynamic Biomaterials
Telefon: +49 (0)681-9300-510
E-mail: Aranzazu.DelCampo@leibniz-inm.de
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Contact

Dr. Aleeza Farrukh, INM – Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien gGmbH
Dr. Aleeza Farrukh
Stv. Leiterin Dynamische Biomaterialien
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-315
E-mail: aleeza.farrukh@leibniz-inm.de
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Martina Bonnard
Secretary
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-397
E-mail: martina.bonnard@leibniz-inm.de
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Team Members
B.Sc. Israa Abdulrahman Mohammed Kheir Elh
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-351
E-mail: Israa.Abdulrahman@leibniz-inm.de
Daniel Ablahad
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-181
E-mail: Daniel.Ablahad@leibniz-inm.de
Britta Abt
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-363
E-mail: Britta.Abt@leibniz-inm.de
Dr.-Ing. Sener Albayrak
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-157
E-mail: Sener.Albayrak@leibniz-inm.de
Dr. Gerardo Asensio Martín
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-315
E-mail: gerardo.asensiomartin@leibniz-inm.de
Dipl.-Chem. Stefan Brück
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-245
E-mail: stefan.brueck@leibniz-inm.de
B.Sc. Jesús Chong Talavera
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-108/251
E-mail: jesus.chong@leibniz-inm.de
Semhar Eyob
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-414
E-mail: semhar.eyob@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Hafiz Syed Usama bin Farrukh
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-360
E-mail: Usama.Farrukh@leibniz-inm.de
Dr. Aleeza Farrukh
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-315
E-mail: aleeza.farrukh@leibniz-inm.de
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0711-0419
Dr. Jun Feng
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-214
E-mail: jun.feng@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Annalena Elisabeth Frank
E-mail: annalena.frank@leibniz-inm.de
B.Sc. Daniel Alfonso Garcia Sanchez
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-245
E-mail: daniel.sanchez@leibniz-inm.de
Dr. Hannah Jahn-Kelleter
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-384
E-mail: Hannah.Jahn-Kelleter@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Hanuman Chowdary Kalari
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-401
E-mail: Hanuman.Kalari@leibniz-inm.de
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2229-317X
Dr. Jennifer Yvonne Kasper
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-345
E-mail: Jennifer.Kasper@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Mokhamad Khamdan
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-349
E-mail: mokhamad.khamdan@leibniz-inm.de
Dr. Steffen Krauser
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-401
E-mail: steffen.krauser@leibniz-inm.de
Dr. Rinku Kumar
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-316
E-mail: rinku.kumar@leibniz-inm.de
Prof. Dr. Juan Mancebo Aracil
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-155
E-mail: juan.mancebo@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Joëlle Aurelie Mekontso Ngaffo
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-247
E-mail: joelle.mekontso@leibniz-inm.de
Dr. Christian Müller
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-315
E-mail: christian.mueller@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Ann-Cathrin Schlapp
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-214
E-mail: Ann-Cathrin.Schlapp@leibniz-inm.de
Silke Siegrist
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-363
E-mail: silke.siegrist@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Therese Steudter
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-384
E-mail: therese.steudter@leibniz-inm.de
M.Sc. Lara Luana Teruel Enrico
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-282
E-mail: LaraLuana.TeruelEnrico@leibniz-inm.de
Lennart Weismantel
Phone: +49 (0)681-9300-152
E-mail: lennart.weismantel@leibniz-inm.de
Research

Hydrogels with latent properties

By integrating phototriggers and light-responsive molecular motors in polymeric networks, we develop 4D hydrogels with optoregulated (bio)chemical activity, crosslinking, degradation, or mechanoactuation. These are used for biophysical studies of cell response to changes in the biochemical and mechanical signals of the extracellular environment.

Model Cellular Microenvironments

We build synthetic models of cell-matrix and cell-cell interfaces with encoded biochemical, mechanical and dimensional signals. To accelerate discovery, we develop material microarrays for high-throughput biophysical experimentation and apply them to study multifactorial cell responses.

Living Therapeutic Devices

We develop bioinks and apply biofabrication technologies for functional and safe encapsulation of cells in medical devices. We focus on self-replenishable living therapeutic materials which integrate drug biofactories and have unlimited therapeutic release. We aim for innovation in ocular therapeutics with living, self-replenishable drug-eluting contact lenses.

Partner

Selected Publications

2025
A Comparative Study between Thiol-Ene and Acrylate Photocrosslinkable Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Inks for Digital Light Processing

Steudter, Therese | Lam, Tobias | Pirmahboub, Hamidreza | Stoppel, Christian | Kloke, Lutz | Pearson, Sam | Del Campo, Aránzazu

Macromolecular Bioscience , 2025, 25 (3), 2400535.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mabi.202400535

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Optimizing the composition of bioactive coatings to support toluene removal

González-Martín, Javier | del Campo, Aránzazu | Muñoz, Raúl | Lebrero, Raquel

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering , 2025, 13 (4), 117324.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.117324

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Biological upcycling of polystyrene into ready-to-use plastic monomers and plastics using metabolically engineered Pseudomonas putida

Kohlstedt, Michael | Weiland, Fabia | Pearson, Samuel | Hero, Devid | Mihalyi, Sophia | Kramps, Laurenz | Gübitz, Georg | Gallei, Markus | Del Campo, Aránzazu | Wittmann, Christoph

Chemical Engineering Journal , 2025, 524 168431.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894725092733#ac0005

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Mechanochemical waves in focal adhesions during cell migration

Fernández-Yagüe, Marc A. | Marquez, Elijah N. | Poojari, Chetan S. | Fu, Jianping | Wang, Yingxiao | Del Campo, Aránzazu | García, Andrés J.

Science Advances , 2025, 11 eadw6425.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw6425#tab-contributors

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2024
Rheological behavior of Pluronic/Pluronic diacrylate hydrogels used for bacteria encapsulation in engineered living materials

Bhusari, Shardul | Hoffmann, Maxi | Herbeck-Engel, Petra | Sankaran, Shrikrishnan | Wilhelm, Manfred | del Campo, Aránzazu

Soft Matter , 2024, 20 (6), 1320-1332.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2024/SM/D3SM01119D

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Biofunctional Polyacrylamide Hydrogels using Tetrazole-Methylsulfone Comonomer for Thiol Conjugation

Farrukh, Hafiz Syed Usama Bin | Milos, Frano | Álvarez, Ana D. | Pearson, Samuel | del Campo, Aránzazu

Advanced Materials Interfaces , 2024, 11 (13), 2301024.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/admi.202301024

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PIEZO1-mediated mechanosensing governs NK-cell killing efficiency and infiltration in three-dimensional matrices

Yanamandra, Archana K. | Zhang, Jingnan | Montalvo, Galia | Zhou, Xiangda | Diedenweg, Doreen | Zhao, Renping | Sharma, Shulagna | Hoth, Markus | Lautenschläger, Franziska | Otto, Oliver | del Campo, Aránzazu | Qu, Bin

European Journal of Immunology , 2024, 54 (3), e2350693.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eji.202350693

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Self-Lubricating, Living Contact Lenses

Puertas-Bartolomé, María | Gutierrez-Urrutia, Izabook | Teruel-Enrico, Lara Luana | Dong, Nguyen Cao | Desai, Krupansh K. | Trujillo, Sara | Wittmann, Christoph | del Campo, Aránzazu

Advanced Materials , 2024, 36 (27), 2313848.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202313848

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Polyacrylamide Hydrogels as Versatile Biomimetic Platforms to Study Cell-Materials Interactions

Milos, Frano | Del Campo, Aránzazu

Advanced Materials Interfaces , 2024, 11 (34), 2400404.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/admi.202400404

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Actin-templated Structures: Natures Way to Hierarchical Surface Patterns (Geckos Setae as Case Study)

Kasper, Jennifer Y. | Laschke, Matthias W. | Koch, Marcus | Alibardi, Lorenzo | Magin, Thomas M. | Niessen, Carien M. | del Campo, Aránzazu

2024, 11 (10), 2303816.

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