Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Assessing the Viability of a Synthetic Bacterial Consortium on the In Vitro Gut Host-microbe Interface
Published on: July 4, 2018
Engineering microbial consortia: a new frontier in synthetic biology
Katie Brenner1, Lingchong You, Frances H Arnold
1Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology 210-41, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Abstract:
Microbial consortia are ubiquitous in nature and are implicated in processes of great importance to humans, from environmental remediation and wastewater treatment to assistance in food digestion. Synthetic biologists are honing their ability to program the behavior of individual microbial populations, forcing the microbes to focus on specific applications, such as the production of drugs and fuels. Given that microbial consortia can perform even more complicated tasks and endure more changeable environments than monocultures can, they represent an important new frontier for synthetic biology. Here, we review recent efforts to engineer synthetic microbial consortia, and we suggest future applications.
Related Concept Videos
Synthetic Biology
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...
Bioreactor Controls-III
iChip
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
Microbial Interactions: Cooperation

