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Bedewy Research Group
Protein-Based Manufacturing (ProMan): Programming Matter through Molecular Information Mostafa Bedewy Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies for Materials Science & Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department of Bioengineering (secondary), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (secondary), Department of Industrial Engineering (secondary), University of Pittsburgh, PA 6/16/2026
mbedewy@pitt.edu | www.nanoproductlab.org
Our Team Sharing the ProMan Vision
Mostafa Bedewy
Won Min Park
Meng Wang
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Pittsburgh
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston 2
Protein-Based Manufacturing: Programming Matter Through Molecular Information Conventional Manufacturing
Protein-Based Manufacturing Amino acid sequence
0.54 nm
11 nm
Mechanical Force
Thermal/ Optical Energy
CAD Digital Tool Path
Hierarchically structured macroscopic material
Folding and assembly
Can manufacturing move from shaping matter with energy to programming matter with information? Blue Sky: bring sequence-guided structure into the digital industrial age 3
Every Manufacturing Era Begins with a New Way to Control Matter Bronze age
Iron age
Modern age Steel Polymers Semiconductors
New manufacturing
Stone age
Composites
SequenceProgrammed Materials Let’s grab that rock and shape it
We can melt copper, tin, etc.
Look! We can even forge iron
We design the materials structure
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Without manufacturing, we’d all still be stuck with…
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The Polymer Lesson: A New Material Class Creates a New Manufacturing Ecosystem Metal era: mass production of shaped metal assemblies
Polymer era: lightweight, molded, multifunctional components
Protein-enabled future? Fibers
Sponges Freeze drying
Dry/wet spinning, Electrospinning A
B
100 µm
5 µm
Films Casting, Spin coating, Dip coating
Microspheres
RSF solution
F
Electro-spraying
C
1 mm
D
E
1 mm
Tubes
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
2026 Chevrolet Corvette
Metals shaped by controlling force/heat
Polymers shaped by rheology/molding
Dipping, gel spinning
5 µm
Hydrogels Sonication, electric current, pH change
Bedewy et al., 2021 Proteins structured by sequence/assembly
Each new material class required new processes, machines, design rules, & expertise. Protein new manufacturing ecosystem.
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The Silk Lesson: We Manufactured the Product BUT Nature Manufactured the Structure Silk is a macroscopic protein product
Who made what? Humans did: • grew leaves • fed the worm • harvest • clean/degum • spin/weave • dye • cut/sew
Nature did: • sequence • folding • β-sheet assembly • hierarchical fiber formation • toughness / flexibility
What ProMan changes? Sequence
Fold
Bind
Catalyze`
Assemble
template
We made the tie; silkworm made the architecture Protein-Based Manufacturing = Sequence Programming + Process Control
From organism-driven materials digitally controlled manufacturing
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Natural Silk Structure
This is why silk is a great material
www.bedewygroup.com
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The tetrahedron gets a new input FROM: Understanding the causal relationship (cause and effect)
PROCESS – STRUCTURE – PROPERTY – PERFORMANCE Material design based on a predetermined goal
TO: Understanding the causal relationship (cause and effect)
SEQUENCE – PROCESS – STRUCTURE – PROPERTY – PERFORMANCE Material design based on a predetermined goal
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Why proteins? Superheroes of biopolymers
1A
1 nm
10 nm
100 nm
1 mm
Adapted from the Paul Scherrer Institut website (http://www.psi.ch)
1. DIVERSITY: Huge diversity of shape, sizes and properties of proteins 2. SIZE: Sub-20-nm range, nanofabricated structures approach proteins 3. SCALABILITY: Economic and sustainable mass production of protein 10
Diversity of proteins
Human proteome contains about 20,000 distinct proteins.1 It’s likely that there are more than 10 billion different proteins in existence.2 Proteins come in various sizes and shapes. 3 [1] Wilhelm et al. Nature, 2014. [2] Koonin EV, Galperin MY. Sequence - Evolution - Function: Computational Approaches in Comparative Genomics. Boston: Kluwer Academic; 2003. [3] Alberts et al., “Molecular Biology of the Cell,” 5th edition. 11
Examples of engineered proteins: design for assembly Protein Origami
2D Crystals
20 nm Gradišar et al., Nat. Chem. Biol. 2013 Lanci et al., PNAS, 2011
Ohno and Inoue, ACS Nano, 2015
Gonen et al., Science, 2015
“Non-engineered proteins” form 2D patterns Hydrophobins
S-layers
Scheuring et al., Mol. Microbiol, 2002
Yamasaki et al., ACS Nano, 2016
Chung et al., PNAS, 2010
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The Grand Challenges Ahead Sequence Design Predict manufacturable protein sequences, not just stable structures. Assembly Control Control placement, orientation, registration, and defect density. Functional Transfer Translate protein patterns into metals, oxides, semiconductors, catalysts, and devices. Manufacturing Scale-Up Build scalable expression, purification, shaping, inline metrology, and quality control. Community Infrastructure Create testbeds, standards, datasets, centers, curricula, and killer applications.
A Manufacturing Frontier Requires a Community: • Manufacturing engineers • Protein designers • Synthetic biologists • Chemical engineers • Materials scientists • AI/autonomy researchers • Metrologists • Sustainability/TEA experts • Industry/government
Let’s build the protein foundry! 14
The Protein Foundry
Digital Design
AI Protein Design
Bioreactor
Purification
Assembly/ Processing
Inline Metrology
Product
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