Reduce toxicity of pollutants and other chemical and biological environmental stresses.

Engineer skin and mucosal microbiomes that reduce or eliminate toxic chemical stresses.

• Technical Achievement: Engineer lung microbiomes to quench reactive oxygen species, produced naturally and during inflammation, to reduce oxidative stress.
• Technical Achievement: Engineer skin and mucosal microbiomes to degrade environmental carcinogens (e.g., organophosphates, agrochemicals).

Engineer skin and mucosal microbiomes to degrade allergens.

• Technical Achievement: Engineer lung microbiomes that synthesize corticosteroid compounds in response to environmental inducers of asthma (e.g., smoke particles, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide).
• Technical Achievement: Engineer mucosal microbiomes that selectively capture allergens (e.g., pollen, pet dander, mold, dust) in biofilms and secrete anti-IgE to reduce allergic immune responses.

Increase human resistance to physical environmental insults (e.g., UV/Vis radiation).

Engineer smart bandages containing microbiomes that promote wound healing and sense/prevent infections.

• Technical Achievement: Engineer microbiomes that secrete antibacterial compounds in response to neutrophils or chemokines (i.e., to prevent infection in a controlled manner, dependent on progression of tissue repair).
• Technical Achievement: Engineer microbiomes that selectively secrete fibrinogen to promote blood clotting and wound healing.

Engineer skin microbiomes that block or absorb UV/Vis radiation and persist for long periods after application.

• Technical Achievement: Engineer microbiome biofilms that synthesize and secrete UV-absorbing metal iron complexes.
• Technical Achievement: Engineer microbiomes that form biofilms to reduce moisture loss through skin and decrease the risk of dehydration in hot or dry environments.

Footnotes