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ABSTRACT Synthetic biology applies genetic tools to engineer living cells and organisms analogous to the programming of machines. In materials synthetic biology, engineering principles from

synthetic biology and materials science are integrated to redesign living systems as dynamic and responsive materials with emerging and programmable functionalities. In this Review, we

discuss synthetic-biology tools, including genetic circuits, model organisms and design parameters, which can be applied for the construction of smart living materials. We investigate

non-living and living self-organizing multifunctional materials, such as intracellular structures and engineered biofilms, and examine the design and applications of hybrid living materials,

including living sensors, therapeutics and electronics, as well as energy-conversion materials and living building materials. Finally, we consider prospects and challenges of programmable

living materials and identify potential future applications. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS

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Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS THE LIVING INTERFACE BETWEEN SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY AND BIOMATERIAL DESIGN Article 31 March 2022 SYNTHETIC LIVING

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De novo design of protein logic gates. _Science_ 368, 78–84 (2020). CAS  Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors acknowledge Mr. Lei Chen for assistance in

preparing the figures and Dr. Karen Pepper for reviewing the manuscript. B.A. would like to thank the support provided by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) during his visiting period at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This work was sponsored by the National Key R&D Program of China (grant nos. 2020YFA0908100 and 2018YFA0902804, the two grants provide equal

support), the Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (key program no. U1932204), the National Institutes of Health of the USA (grant no. 1-R21-AI121669-01) and the

Defense Threat Reduction Agency of the USA (grant no. HDTRA1-15-1-0050). AUTHOR INFORMATION Author notes * These authors contributed equally: Tzu-Chieh Tang, Bolin An. AUTHORS AND

AFFILIATIONS * Synthetic Biology Group, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Tzu-Chieh Tang, Bolin An, Sangita Vasikaran & 

Timothy K. Lu * Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Tzu-Chieh Tang, Sangita Vasikaran & Timothy K. Lu * The Mediated Matter

Group, MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Tzu-Chieh Tang & Sangita Vasikaran * Materials and Physical Biology Division, School of Physical Science

and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China Bolin An, Yuanyuan Huang, Yanyi Wang, Xiaoyu Jiang & Chao Zhong * Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Timothy K. Lu * Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced

Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China Chao Zhong * CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of

Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China Chao Zhong Authors * Tzu-Chieh Tang View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar *

Bolin An View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Yuanyuan Huang View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google

Scholar * Sangita Vasikaran View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Yanyi Wang View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Xiaoyu Jiang View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Timothy K. Lu View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Chao Zhong View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS All authors contributed to the

discussions, writing and reviewing of the article content. T.-C.T., B.A. and C.Z. prepared the figures and tables. CORRESPONDING AUTHORS Correspondence to Timothy K. Lu or Chao Zhong. ETHICS

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synthetic biology. _Nat Rev Mater_ 6, 332–350 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-020-00265-w Download citation * Accepted: 06 November 2020 * Published: 23 December 2020 * Issue Date:

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