Internet of microbiota: could synthetic probiotics help prevent our natural bacteria from going astray?

Indeed, the human microbiota – the natural bacteria inside the human body – use “quorum sensing” molecules to organise themselves and communicate with their human host.

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https://theconversation.com/internet-of-microbiota-could-synthetic-probiotics-help-prevent-our-natural-bacteria-from-going-astray-206660https://theconversation.com/internet-of-microbiota-could-synthetic-probiotics-help-prevent-our-natural-bacteria-from-going-astray-206660
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Tuesday, June 20, 2023
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Cognition, Rat, Communication, Human, Central nervous system, Animal, DSM-IV codes, Face, Spectrum, Digestion, Organic compound, Plant, Research, Irritable bowel syndrome, Brain, Biomarker, Homeostasis, Microbiota, Hormone, Pheromone, Inflammatory bowel disease, Population, Gastroenteritis, Mouse, Growth, Diagnosis, Knowledge, Bacteria, Health, Probiotic, Nanotechnology, Synthetic biology, Vaccine, Sulfur, Medical imaging
Summary
Key Points: 
  • Indeed, the human microbiota – the natural bacteria inside the human body – use “quorum sensing” molecules to organise themselves and communicate with their human host.
  • Recent research has shown that artificial bacteria, also called “synthetic probiotics”, could offer a promising new approach to treating gut-brain axis disorders.
  • These artificial bacteria would use molecular communication, as it occurs naturally in living organisms, but here as a bio-inspired communication paradigm that uses molecules to transfer information.

What are artificial bacteria?

    • The active use of artificial bacteria in the treatment of gut-brain axis-related disorders is projected to make significant breakthroughs.
    • For example, by developing artificial bacteria to produce antimicrobial peptides, we can target and kill harmful bacteria with greater precision, avoiding the development of antibiotic resistance.
    • The development of intestinal biosensors and artificial bacteria to detect disease-related biomarkers enables using them as diagnostic tools.

How to develop artificial bacteria?

    • In the context of molecular communication, artificial bacteria refers to the development of engineered bacteria that can communicate with each other and human cells at the molecular level.
    • This envisioned organism is nothing but a network of systems transmitting and receiving, or, in engineering speak, “transceiving” molecules at the microscale or the nanoscale.
    • This bacteria-based transceiver can send and receive molecular signals inside the human body to further sense and control biological processes in real time.
    • As stated before, envisioned artificial bacteria is a perfect candidate for biomedical applications of nano-communication networks such as diagnosis and treatment of diseases, health monitoring, drug delivery, and bio-hybrid implants.
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