Living cells constantly convert energy to sustain their metabolism. We are developing living material assemblies that dynamically change their behaviors in response to encased cells’ energy consumption and respiration. If we are successful in this quest, we will establish new fundamental design principles to construct materials seamlessly incorporating and responding to biology of cells.

We are continuing to develop new molecular mechanisms to construct and control programmable assemblies of synthetic polymers and living cells. Our unique molecular assembly approach enables coupling between cellular division and material growth by controlled fuel consumption, polymer design, and nutrient composition. Our work in this area will establish a fundamentally new way to design and produce living materials that combine the distinct merits of cell biology and synthetic smart polymers.