Bandages Made From Living Fungi Could Be the Future of Wound Healing
When most of us think of fungi, we imagine mushrooms sprouting from the forest floor or mold reclaiming old fruit. But new research suggests that fungi may one day help heal wounds — not just decompose waste.
A team of researchers at the University of Utah has been exploring how living fungi can be used to create bio-integrated hydrogels — special materials that mimic the layered structure of human skin, cartilage, and soft tissues. These living materials could open the door to advanced biomedical applications like tissue regeneration, scaffolding for cell growth, and even next-generation wound dressings.
A Fungus With Healing Potential
The star of this research is Marquandomyces marquandii, a common soil mold with some remarkable properties. For years, it was mistakenly classified under a different name, but after being placed in its own genus in 2020, scientists began exploring its unique potential.
When grown in a stationary liquid fermentation process, M. marquandii forms a hydrogel that retains up to 83% water — a key factor for wound healing and tissue support. Unlike other fungi that produce brittle or fast-drying structures, this species naturally creates multi-layered, porous networks that closely resemble biological tissue.
Why Fungi Make Great Biomaterials
Most of a fungus’s structure isn’t visible to the naked eye. Beneath the surface lies mycelium — a dense, fibrous web of filaments. This natural network gives fungi their strength and flexibility, making them an exciting candidate for sustainable, biocompatible materials.
“Mycelium is made primarily out of chitin, which is similar to what’s found in seashells and insect exoskeletons,” explains Steven Naleway, a materials engineer at the University of Utah. “It’s biocompatible, but also highly spongy, making it ideal as a structural base for medical applications.”
The researchers observed that M. marquandii develops layers with different levels of porosity, from 40% at the surface to as high as 90% deeper inside. This variation could allow scientists to fine-tune the material’s structure for specific uses, such as bandages, tissue scaffolds, or even bone-supporting frameworks.
A Future Full of Possibilities
There’s still a long way to go before doctors might use “mushroom bandages” on burns or injuries. While M. marquandii isn’t known to be harmful to humans, researchers will need to run extensive tests to ensure it can safely integrate with living tissue.
If successful, fungal hydrogels could offer a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to many synthetic medical materials — combining nature’s resilience with cutting-edge biomedical science.
“This is the first time a mycelium species has shown such hydrogel-like properties under submerged growth conditions,” the research team wrote. “M. marquandii stands out as a promising new material for future biomedical applications.”
The study was published in The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society journal.
