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Ingestible optoelectronic capsules enable bidirectional communication with engineered microbes for controllable
Xinyu Zhang1, Zhijie Feng1,2, Hongxiang Li1
1School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Nature Microbiology
|July 28, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a system using engineered bacteria, an ingestible capsule, and a smartphone to monitor and treat gut inflammation. This bidirectional communication enables controlled diagnosis and therapeutic interventions in vivo.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic Biology
- Optoelectronics
- Microbiome Engineering
Background:
- Engineered microbes offer potential for in vivo sensing and therapy but lack real-time monitoring and control.
- Current methods for in vivo microbial applications are limited in their ability to provide bidirectional communication for diagnostics and therapeutics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a user-controlled, bidirectional communication system integrating engineered microbes, an optoelectronic capsule, and a smartphone for in vivo applications.
- To demonstrate the system's capability for diagnosing gut inflammation and delivering targeted therapeutic interventions.
Main Methods:
- Optogenetically engineered Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 were developed to detect nitric oxide, a marker for inflammation.
- An ingestible optoelectronic capsule was designed to transduce microbial bioluminescence into wireless electrical signals for smartphone monitoring.
- The smartphone interface was used to send wireless signals to the capsule, activating microbial production and secretion of an anti-inflammatory nanobody.
Main Results:
- The engineered E. coli successfully detected inflammation-associated nitric oxide in a pig model, generating a bioluminescent signal.
- The optoelectronic capsule effectively converted the bioluminescent signal into a wirelessly transmitted electrical signal, monitored by a smartphone.
- Smartphone-controlled capsule activation led to microbial secretion of an anti-inflammatory nanobody, alleviating colitis in pigs.
Conclusions:
- This study presents a novel, integrated system for bidirectional communication with engineered microbes in vivo.
- The developed platform demonstrates potential for real-time digital health monitoring and precisely controlled therapeutic interventions.
- Integrating synthetic biology with optoelectronics opens new avenues for advanced diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the gut microbiome.
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