Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Sep;15(9):891-897.
doi: 10.1002/alr.23619. Epub 2025 Aug 18.

Engineered Microbial-Based Therapeutics Nose No Bounds: Extending Innovation to Rhinologic Disease Management

Jonathan Pabón  1   2   3 , Tal Danino  2   3   4 , David A Gudis  1 , Jonathan B Overdevest  1
Affiliations
Review

Engineered Microbial-Based Therapeutics Nose No Bounds: Extending Innovation to Rhinologic Disease Management

Jonathan Pabón et al. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

Advancements in synthetic biology provide an opportunity to deliver targeted and controllable precision therapy to address sinonasal diseases. By leveraging the natural microbial ecosystem of the nasal mucosa and its mutability, engineered therapeutic bacteria present a promising treatment modality currently underexplored in this field. Investigating the practical application of this emerging therapeutic option stands to enhance our management of rhinologic diseases. Synthetic biology enables us to address underlying inflammatory processes and sinonasal malignancies with bespoke microorganisms that facilitate localized microbiota modulation and immunomodulation. By harnessing the intrinsic regulatory properties of the native nasal microbiome, we can develop innovative strategies that not only improve treatment efficacy but also open new avenues for managing complex sinonasal conditions.

Keywords: engineered bacteria; microbiome; synthetic biology; therapeutic delivery.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. B. Hobom, “Gene Surgery: On the Threshold of Synthetic Biology,” Medizinische Klinik 75, no. 24 (1980): 834–841.
    1. L. M. Alexander and P. J. P. van, “Modes of Therapeutic Delivery in Synthetic Microbiology,” Trends in Microbiology 31, no. 2 (2023): 197–211.
    1. C. R. Gurbatri, G. A. Radford, L. Vrbanac, et al., “Engineering Tumor‐Colonizing E. coli Nissle 1917 for Detection and Treatment of Colorectal Neoplasia,” Nature Communications 15, no. 1 (2024): 646.
    1. B. F. L. Sieow, K. S. Wun, W. P. Yong, I. Y. Hwang, and M. W Chang, “Tweak to Treat: Reprograming Bacteria for Cancer Treatment,” Trends Cancer 7, no. 5 (2020): 447–464.
    1. C. Miller, J. M. L. Ho, and M. R Bennett, “Bacterial Killers Engineered to Exterminate Pathogenic Microbes,” Molecular Cell 75, no. 1 (2019): 5–6.

LinkOut - more resources