Shaping the future of biofabrication and biomanufacturing in Singapore

Biofabrication and biomanufacturing are rapidly transforming how materials, therapeutics, and functional biological constructs are produced. These fields integrate developments in sustainable biomaterials, precision fabrication, biological systems, and data-driven engineering to produce scalable, efficient, and environmentally aligned production pathways. This review high-lights recent scientific advances led by researchers in Singapore, focusing on three interconnected pillars: sustainable bio-derived materials, enabling fabrication and manufacturing technologies, and emerging applications. We first examine the expanding use of biomass-derived feedstocks, including human hair keratin, aquaculture side-streams, and plant-derived polysaccharides, which support circular and resource-conscious material development. We then present advances in biofabrication technologies, including electrospinning, three-dimensional bioprinting, and metal additive manufacturing, that enable improved control over the structure, function, and manufacturability of biomedical and functional constructs. Emerging applications, such as machine learning-assisted additive manufacturing, food biomanufacturing, regenerative cell therapy, microneedles, and bioelectronics, exemplify how biofabrication and biomanufacturing are increasingly interrelated across the health, materials, and technological domains. These research contributions from Singapore exemplify how sustainable feedstocks, digital and automated fabrication platforms, and biologically driven applications are shaping the evolving landscape of biofabrication and biomanufacturing. The convergence of materials science, biological engineering, and advanced manufacturing continues to enable new opportunities for innovation in biomedical, industrial, and societal contexts.