Recoding the metagenome: microbiome engineering in situ

Abstract

Synthetic biology has enabled a new generation of tools for engineering the microbiome, including targeted antibiotics, protein delivery, living biosensors and diagnostics, and metabolic factories. Here, we discuss opportunities and limitations in microbiome engineering, focusing on a new generation of tools for in situ genetic modification of a microbiome that hold particular promise in circumventing these limitations.