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Figure 1. Proposed method for creating a holobiont from engineered minimal genome endosymbionts (derived from JCVI-Syn3B) that regenerate progenitor cells in liver tissue. Fluorescently labeled endosymbiont chassis bacteria with a cationic lipid coating (1) pick up protein coronas comprised of blood peptides as they traffic to the liver (2). The labeled bacteria can be visualized in the tissue (3). Once inside the host cells, the engineered endosymbionts secrete transcription factors that affect the genetic circuits of the cell (4), with limited replication with the host cytoplasm (5). After sustained reprogramming by the secreted transcription factors, the function of the holobiont is redirected (6) toward progenitor cells that can regenerate damaged liver tissue (7). Figure created using Biorender.

Tracing evolution’s blueprint: Minimal genome life and the engineering of synthetic endosymbiosis

Roksana Riddle and Christopher H. Contag from Michigan State University discuss the concept of endosymbiosis, how it has evolved, and present strategies to engineering endosymbionts and their applications in developing innovative therapies.
Neuroengineering with engineered endosymbionts: Schematic of plan to use engineered endosymbionts for guided induction of dopaminergic neurons from astrocytes or neural stem cells in a Parkinson’s disease mouse model—external signal for control could be chemical or magnetothermal.

Neuroengineering with engineered endosymbionts

Christopher H. Contag and Ahmed A. Zarea from Michigan State University’s Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering explore therapeutic approaches to neurodegenerative diseases using a novel strategy based on engineered endosymbionts systems that could revolutionize patient care.

Engineering interkingdom communication for next-generation therapeutic approaches

Brian Snyder and Christopher H. Contag, from Michigan State University, discuss engineering interkingdom communication, which is not for palace intrigue, but for next-generation therapeutic approaches they argue.
Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering

Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ)

Professor Christopher Contag is the founding director of the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering at Michigan State University; the Institute was founded in 2016 and is known as IQ.
Microscopic preparation, tissue plant

What imaging reveals about engineered endosymbionts

Ashley V. Makela and Christopher H. Contag from the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, walk us through watching living therapeutics in action, including what imaging reveals about engineered endosymbionts.

Engineered endosymbionts as novel cancer therapeutics

Satyajit Hari Kulkarni and Christopher H. Contag from the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering focus on engineered endosymbionts, which they argue is a paradigm shift in anticancer bacteriotherapy toward killing tumors from the inside out.
Cellular therapy. 3d illustration

Engineered endosymbionts for cellular control

Christopher H. Contag from the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ) at Michigan State University discusses the potential of engineered endosymbionts as biologically encoded remote controls for regenerative medicine.

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