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Nature Synthesis (2024 )Cite this article thermoplastic insulated wire
Cells execute remarkable functions using biopolymers synthesized from natural building blocks. Engineering cells to leverage the vast array of synthesizable abiotic polymers could provide enhanced or entirely new cellular functions. Here we discuss the applications of in situ-synthesized abiotic polymers in three distinct domains: intracellular polymerization, cell-surface polymerization and extracellular polymerization. These advances have led to novel applications in various areas, such as cancer therapy, cell imaging, cellular activity manipulation, cell protection and electrode assembly. Examples of these synthetic approaches can be applied across all domains of life, ranging from microbes and cultured mammalian cells to plants and animals. Finally, we discuss challenges and future opportunities in this emerging field, which could enable new synthetic approaches to influence biological processes and functions.
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This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Future Manufacturing Program grant (award no. 2037164) and the Keck Foundation. Z.B. is a CZ Biohub-San Francisco Investigator and an Arc Institute Innovation Investigator. A.Z. acknowledges support from the American Heart Association (AHA; award no. 23POST1018301).
Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Anqi Zhang, Spencer Zhao, Jonathan Tyson & Zhenan Bao
Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Anqi Zhang, Jonathan Tyson & Karl Deisseroth
Department of Chemistry and the Sarafan Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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A.Z., K.D. and Z.B. wrote the manuscript. S.Z. and J.T. contributed to the discussions and revisions.
Correspondence to Karl Deisseroth or Zhenan Bao.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Nature Synthesis thanks Bozhi Tian and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editor: Alison Stoddart, in collaboration with the Nature Synthesis team.
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Zhang, A., Zhao, S., Tyson, J. et al. Applications of synthetic polymers directed toward living cells. Nat. Synth (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-024-00560-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-024-00560-2
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