Living yeast that sense and respond to wound infections
Living Yeast Sense-Respond Therapeutic Communities Engineered with Synthetic Biology
This project is creating engineered yeast that can detect bacteria in wounds and release antibiotics locally to help people with bacterial wound infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia Univ New York Morningside NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11370635 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have a bacterial wound infection, researchers are engineering baker's yeast to act like tiny medicine factories placed at the wound site. The yeast are being designed to sense which bacteria are present and then secrete the right antibiotic when needed. Because Saccharomyces cerevisiae is easy to grow and store, the team plans to make these living treatments affordable and practical for wound care. The work focuses on lab development of sensing systems, antibiotic production, and combining these functions into responsive yeast communities that work at wounds.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with localized bacterial wound infections, such as chronic or nonhealing wounds, are the most likely candidates for future trials of this approach.
Not a fit: People without bacterial wound infections, those with systemic bloodstream infections, or patients who must avoid live-microbe treatments (for example, certain severely immunocompromised individuals) would likely not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could deliver antibiotics directly at wounds, reducing systemic side effects and improving infection control.
How similar studies have performed: Related work using engineered bacteria as localized therapeutics has shown promise in lab and animal studies, but using engineered yeast for sense-and-respond antibiotic delivery is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Columbia Univ New York Morningside — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cornish, Virginia W — Columbia Univ New York Morningside
- Study coordinator: Cornish, Virginia W
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.