Polymer-templated living bacteria for biocatalysis and biomedicine

Engineering polymers on living cell surfaces has emerged as a powerful strategy to construct living materials. While the in-situ polymerization method overcome the limitations of grafting efficiency in macromolecular steric hindrance in the “graft-to” methods, their implementation presents substantial technical challenges. In this review, the in-situ atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) strategy on bacterial surfaces to construct polymer-cell systems with cascade catalysis and selective antibacterial was introduced. Functional polymers synthesized on the surface of Escherichia coli enable efficient intra- and extracellular cascade reactions, with high biocompatibility, robust environmental resistance, and recyclability. Moreover, the ATRP approach also yields sequence-specific templated polymers that selectively eliminated target pathogens without inducing resistance. Compared to the “graft-to” methods, the “graft-from” methods based on the ATRP offer a more efficient, stable, and biocompatible modification route, while enabling superior structural tunability and functional versatility. This innovative strategy demonstrates significant potential for diverse applications spanning engineered smart biomaterials, industrial biocatalysis, and precise theranostics. Further integration of ATRP with artificial intelligence and other techniques such as click chemistry or peptide self-assembly will enable the development of multifunctional systems. Such advances promise to bridge the critical gap between fundamental research and industrial applications, enabling precise customization for clinical requirements while accelerating the translation of living materials from bench to bedside. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.