Advances in synthetic biology-based drug delivery systems for disease treatment

With the increasing demand for personalized and precise treatment, the rapid advancement of synthetic biology technology has inevitably led to the development of nanobiology-based drug delivery systems. Synthetic biology-based drug delivery systems are being increasingly used in the treatment of various diseases. On one hand, synthetic biology technology enables the clever combination of chassis cells, bacteria, and their derivatives with nanomaterials, forming nano-artificial hybrid systems. These systems effectively integrate the functions of both materials, leading to further breakthroughs and optimization of biological functions. On the other hand, synthetic biology strategies guide the self-assembly of modular nanocomponents with biocatalytic or intelligent response functions, resulting in the mimicry of living cell features such as compartmentalization of enzymatic reactions and responsiveness to external stimuli. This provides novel design ideas for the construction of artificial cells. This paper aims to explore the construction and application of biogenic drug delivery systems based on whole cells, cell membrane-encapsulated nanoparticles, exosomes, bacteria, bacterial outer membrane vesicles and artificial cells, taking into account recent advances in this field. The advantages and limitations of current synthetic biology-based nanodrug delivery systems for clinical translation are discussed, and the future prospects of nanotechnology for intelligent drug diagnostic and therapeutic systems are envisioned. (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.