Bacterial Assembly: Construction of Active Biological Systems from a Materials Science Perspective

Key Points

• The aim is to reconstruct bacteria from individual organisms into functional communities with spatial organization.
• Developed multilayered artificial assembly strategies including field-induced, polymer-mediated, and surface-modified approaches.
• Achieved precise control from macro-scale aggregation to molecular-level programming.
• Examined the effects of spatial assembly on community behavior.
• Spatial assembly creates metabolic gradients that drive functional partitioning within aggregates.
• Physical barriers and metabolic dormancy contribute to significant resilience.
• Localized enrichment of signaling molecules enhances quorum sensing and cooperative metabolism beyond single-cell capabilities.