The vision of the CoM2Life initiative is to revolutionize the field of soft biomaterials by integrating principles from living systems into synthetic materials to enable bidirectional communication and continuous interaction with living biological systems. Our approach combines chemistry-centered biomaterials design and synthetic biology-centered design of regulatory circuits, resulting in biomaterials that exhibit life-like properties such as signal sensing, processing, and actuation. This breakthrough towards biomaterials with an ‘embodied intelligence’ unlocks new possibilities for interactive crossregulation and adaptive co-development in future generations of biomaterials systems.

 

CoM2Life focuses on "deep technology push" concepts to empower biomaterials research with the cutting-edge technologies of tomorrow. These advancements are expected to drive breakthroughs in medical research and personalized healthcare in the coming decades. Examples include feedback-regulated drug delivery, tissue models that can replace animal testing, metabolic regulation systems for tumor immunotherapy, tissue repair, and the engineering of artificial organs.

 

CoM2Life integrates complementary disciplines from JGU Mainz and TU Darmstadt that synergize expertise and technologies, creating a Rhine Main University research hub dedicated to the convergence of living and soft matter disciplines. Our interdisciplinary program equips researchers with a multidisciplinary information advantage to drive future innovation. Experts in communication sciences foster trust and understanding in this highly interdisciplinary environment and develop effective communication strategies to address the challenges of misinformation in the world today.