At the intersection of synthetic biology and materials science, the field of engineered living materials (ELMs) has evolved into a new, standalone discipline. The fusion of bioengineering’s design–build–test–learn approaches with classical materials science has yielded breakthrough innovations in the synthesis of complex, biologically active materials for functional applications in therapeutics, electronics, construction, and beyond. However, the transdisciplinary nature of the ELM field – and its rapid growth – has made holistic comprehension of achievements related to the tools, techniques, and applications of ELMs difficult across disciplines. To this end, this review proposes an emergent taxonomy of ELM research and uses the categorization to discuss current trends and state-of-the-art advancements, significant opportunities, and imminent challenges for scientists and engineers in the field.

在合成生物学和材料科学的交叉点，工程生物材料 (ELM) 领域已经发展成为一门新的、独立的学科。生物工程的设计-构建-测试-学习方法与经典材料科学的融合在复杂的生物活性材料的合成方面取得了突破性的创新，用于治疗学、电子学、建筑等领域的功能应用。然而，ELM 领域的跨学科性质及其快速增长使得跨学科难以全面理解与 ELM 的工具、技术和应用相关的成就。为此，这篇评论提出了 ELM 研究的新兴分类法，并使用分类来讨论当前的趋势和最先进的进步、重要的机会、