Mobilome Engineering
Genetic delivery with mobile elements
Mobile genetic elements are DNA sequences that move within genomes or between cells. We adapt conjugative plasmids, transposons, and phage-derived systems to develop genetic delivery tools for selected bacteria. The goal is to reach microbes that current tools cannot readily access.
Developing genetic delivery systems for selected bacterial species.
In Situ Programming
Develop tools to edit DNA within microbial communities.
Published methods in this area
- MAGICDelivers genetic payloads to native gut bacteria by conjugation, inside the host.Ronda et al. · Nature Methods · 2019
- INTEGRATERNA-guided transposition for accurate, multiplexed, kilobase-scale insertion.Vo, Ronda et al. · Nature Biotechnology · 2021
- MetaEditCombines conjugative delivery with RNA-guided DNA insertion to modify selected gut bacteria within communities, demonstrated in mice.Gelsinger, Ronda et al. · Science · 2025
Other directions in this area
Environmental Microbiome Engineering
Editing agricultural and environmental microbiomes
Exploring how in situ microbiome programming could address agricultural and environmental challenges, including methane production in livestock through IGI's BIOME initiative.
Generative Protein Design
AI-Designed Biological Tools
The lab explores generative AI approaches for designing novel biological tools and programmable functions. The goal is to improve the performance of our current tools, broaden the range of microbial hosts, and expand the reach of microbiome engineering.