Modular design is at the foundation of contemporary engineering, enabling rapid, efficient, and reproducible construction and maintenance of complex systems across applications. Remarkably, modularity has recently been discovered as a governing principle in natural biological systems from genes to proteins to complex networks within a cell and organism communities. The convergent knowledge of natural and engineered modular systems provides a key to drive modern biotechnology to address emergent challenges associated with health, food, energy, and the environment. Here, we first present the theory and application of modular design in traditional engineering fields. We then discuss the significance and impact of modular architectures on systems biology and biotechnology. Next, we focus on the very recent theoretical and experimental advances in modular cell engineering that seeks to enable rapid and systematic development of microbial catalysts capable of efficiently synthesizing a large space of useful chemicals. We conclude with an outlook towards theoretical and practical opportunities for a more systematic and effective application of modular cell engineering in biotechnology.

模块化设计是当代工程的基础，可实现跨应用程序的复杂系统的快速，高效和可重现的构造和维护。引人注目的是，最近在自然生物系统中，从基因到蛋白质再到细胞和有机体群落中的复杂网络，模块化已被视为主导原则。天然和工程模块化系统的融合知识为推动现代生物技术解决与健康，食品，能源和环境相关的新挑战提供了关键。在这里，我们首先介绍模块化设计的理论和在传统工程领域中的应用。然后，我们讨论模块化体系结构对系统生物学和生物技术的重要性和影响。下一个，我们关注于模块化细胞工程领域的最新理论和实验进展，这些进展旨在实现能够有效合成大量有用化学物质的微生物催化剂的快速而系统的开发。我们以在生物技术中更加系统和有效地应用模块化细胞工程的理论和实践机会的前景作为结束。