Bioinspired Backbone Editing Strategies for Rewriting Synthetic Polymers

The structure of a polymer backbone plays a central role in determining its physical properties, chemical reactivity, and function. In biological systems, biopolymers such as DNA, RNA, and proteins exhibit a remarkable degree of structural and functional adaptability, achieved through highly regulated post-synthetic modifications of both side chains and backbones. By contrast, synthetic polymers have traditionally been designed with static, inert backbones, limiting post-synthetic modulation of their core structures. Although post-polymerization modification strategies have successfully enabled side chain and terminal group functionalization, precise editing of the polymer backbone remains underdeveloped. Inspired by the editing mechanisms of biological macromolecules, recent efforts have begun to explore chemical strategies for backbone editing in synthetic polymers. These emerging approaches offer transformative potential for generating functional polymeric materials for diverse applications. This Minireview highlights key backbone editing mechanisms in biological systems and discusses how these paradigms can inform the development of bioinspired backbone editing strategies to rewrite synthetic polymers.