One small step for stool, one giant leap for IBD surveillance

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic conditions in which the digestive tract undergoes cycles of relapsing and remitting inflammatory episodes that cause patients to experience severe abdominal pain, bleeding, and diarrhea. Developing noninvasive and cost-effective surveillance methods that can detect an ensuing disease bout proffers an avenue to improve the quality of life for patients with IBD. Now, a recent report describes an ingenious, economical approach using a rationally designed Escherichia coli strain that can dynamically monitor inflammation inside the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. The ability of the engineered probiotic to specifically discern between dormant and activated inflammatory states of the digestive system demonstrates that living biosensors can be used to monitor health status, thus providing a powerful proof of concept that heralds the arrival of a new age of clinical diagnostics for people living with inflammatory diseases of the gut.