Scientists engineer bacteria to manufacture drugs inside human body
The team from Technion’s Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering has engineered harmless bacteria to produce therapeutic compounds directly inside patients, eliminating traditional manufacturing and distribution chains.
Professor Boaz Mizrahi
Their findings appear in Advanced Healthcare Materials.
“We are used to thinking that to introduce a drug into the body, it must be manufactured in a factory—sometimes on another continent,” said Professor Boaz Mizrahi, who led the research with Dr Adi Gross and PhD student Caroline Hali Alperovitz. “Our paper describes a new paradigm for both drug production and consumption.”
The system employs genetically modified bacteria introduced into affected organs, where they manufacture and release medications locally. Delivery occurs via a dissolvable microneedle patch applied painlessly to skin, penetrating the dermis without damaging nerves or blood vessels.
The approach offers compelling advantages: drugs remain fresh since they’re used immediately after production—critical for protein-based therapies sensitive to degradation. Higher bioavailability results from proximity between the production site and the target tissue, minimising side effects from molecular breakdown during transport. Because bacteria replicate within tissue, a single application could last weeks, dramatically reducing treatment costs.
In proof-of-concept experiments, researchers used Bacillus paralicheniformis bacteria to produce γ-PGA, a protein that accelerates wound healing and reduces inflammation. Mouse trials confirmed safety, with patches dissolving within two hours without causing inflammation or tissue damage.
“This innovative approach could revolutionise pharmaceuticals—instead of injections and pills, we could treat patients with a ‘living’ system,” Mizrahi explained.
The Israel Science Foundation and Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute supported the research.
