Engineering bacteria to monitor and treat metabolic disorders; plus on-demand male contraception and more

East China University of Science and Technology scientists presented in Cell Host & Microbe an engineered biomarker-responsive Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 probiotic, dubbed i-ROBOT, that can monitor inflammatory bowel disease occurrence and progression. The system uses the inflammatory marker thiosulfate to create trackable and heritable DNA alterations via a base editing system, and administer a disease-regulating immunomodulator using a self-tunable mechanism.

Oral administration of i-ROBOT generated molecular recording signals in fecal and colon samples, and decreased weight loss and inflammation compared with vehicle in mouse models of colitis...