Bacteriophage Symphony: engineering phages as live biocomputers to reprogram microbial communities

Harvard Undergraduate Microbiology Society article by Ishaan Vitthala on “programmable” phages that deliver genetic circuits to reprogram bacteria rather than only kill them, with possible uses in the gut microbiome, agriculture, wastewater and microplastic degradation. It notes that resistance, gene transfer and ecosystem risks remain and that rules for using programmable phages are yet to be developed.