Engineering Life: From Live Biotherapeutics to Living Materials

The field of drug delivery is undergoing a paradigm shift with the emergence of technologies that integrate living systems into therapeutic design. Engineered Live Biotherapeutics (eLBPs) - microorganisms programmed to sense, secrete, and interact with host biology - offer spatiotemporally controlled interventions for a range of diseases, from gastrointestinal inflammation to systemic immune disorders. Parallel advances in Engineered Living Materials (ELMs), which combine living cells with structural biomaterials, are opening new avenues for dynamic, self-regenerating drug delivery platforms. This talk will highlight recent advances across both areas and introduce an upcoming Journal of Controlled Release Theme Issue entitled "Living Drug Carriers: Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Engineered Microbes in Therapeutic Delivery" dedicated to showcasing foundational and translational work at the interface of eLBPs and ELMs. Together, these innovations signal a bold new vision for drug delivery - where therapies are not just administered, but designed to live, adapt, and respond within the body.