Chemical synthetic biology

Use of chemical (e.g. polymer chemistry) approaches to develop microbial living materials and therapeutics without causing gene contamination and other related safety issues (Zhenping Cao, Jinyao Liu*, Nature Protocols 2024, 19, 3162; Sisi Lin, et al, Jinyao Liu*, Chemical Society Reviews 2023, 52, 6617)

Intelligent microbial living materials

Use of chemical modification to prepare engineered intelligent microbial living materials, particularly for tissue engineering application (Zhenping Cao, Jinyao Liu*, Accounts of Materials Research 2024, 5, 872)

Engineered microbial living therapeutics

Use of chemical modification to construct engineered microbial living therapeutics with high viability, targeting ability, and enhanced treatment efficacy (Feng Wu, Jinyao Liu*, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 2022, 188, 114443)

Living-synthetic hybrid microrobotics

Utilization of materials chemistry to fabricate living-synthetic hybrid microbial robots with abilities of recognition, perception, and execution for disease intervention (Lu Wang, Jinyao Liu*, Accounts of Chemical Research 2024, 57, 945)

Synthetic microbiota-host interfaces

Construction of material/chemical synthetic interfaces to modulate microbiota-host interactions, with an aim to explore the applications in disease prevention and treatment (Mian Chen, Jinyao Liu*, Accounts of Chemical Research 2025, 58, 2110)