Genetic toolbox development for engineering Bacteroides and other bacterial species

Engineering bacteria to address human health challenges has been an active and productive area of research for many decades. Historically, a major emphasis of this work has been on modifying laboratory-adapted species to generate chemical or biological compounds for therapeutic use or for further study. In recent years, however, there has been a growing interest in utilizing nonmodel commensal and probiotic bacterial strains for development as in situ engineered living therapeutic or diagnostic