I HATE IT but I hope it works
Using synthetic biology techniques, the research team engineered a probiotic with a century-long history of safety into an “intelligent virtual organ” that can be taken orally and reside temporarily in the intestine. It can sense blood glucose fluctuations in real time and autonomously secrete glucose-lowering hormones, enabling therapeutic dosing in response to real-time blood glucose levels, and providing a programmable, orally deliverable sense-and-respond platform for metabolic therapy without transplantation.
What do you hate about it?
Thinking about a little synthetic organ chillin’ in there gives me heebie jeebies! So does my aunt’s pig heart valve though.
- It’s basically prescription-grade yogurt.
- There are more microorganisms in your intestines than there are cells in your body. You’re mostly yogurt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_microbiota
I’m fine with the probiotic bit, but they made it sound like they put it into a ‘synthetic organ’ and I find engineering little organs creepy (though neat). If it’s just a super-probiotic I’m not creeped out! Either way I’m excited for all the people.
