Engineering the gut microbiome and its impact on human health

The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in maintaining health by supporting digestion, immunity, and overall well-being. Disruptions to the gut microbiome can result in dysbiosis, which is correlated with disease states. Recent advances in engineering the gut microbiome, functional ingredients designed through prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics have progressed together with synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), which influence the modulation of microbiome composition and functional role, offering a promising strategy to restore balance and enhance health. This field is rapidly advancing with broad applications focused on improving animal and human health. This review explores the significance and current applications of the engineering microbiome and its impact on gut health, as well as the challenges and sustainable future.