Synthetic microbial consortia based on quorum-sensing for disease therapy

Synthetic microbial consortia (SyMCon), composed of different artificially engineered bacteria, offer a promising alternative to live biotherapeutic products for disease therapy. These microbial communities use a quorum sensing (QS) mechanism that allows for precise and low-interference communication. Compared to current therapy using only one engineered bacterium, they can reduce the metabolic load of one bacterium, thereby increase drug production, and respond to a wider variety of disease-related signals. This review summarizes recent developments and emphasizes the unique advantages of SyMCon, then proposes multiple perspectives of designs for therapeutic SyMCon. Although SyMCon possess advantages in colonization, responding to multiple environmental signals, and delivering high-yield drugs, future developments should focus on orthogonal QS systems, complex genetic circuits, and modular consortia. More complex consortia allow for better therapeutic functionality, and modular consortia allow for the rapid replacement of disease-specific components, which could unlock the potential of the next generation of personalized microbial therapy.