Safety

Although we will control the population size of the engineered bacteria, the selection of chassis organisms still requires a certain level of safety. The skin microbiome is a delicate balance between pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria, and current research on it remains limited, meaning that randomly selecting a bacterium may not be entirely safe. Furthermore, some studies have indicated that when this balance is disrupted, it can lead to certain skin diseases or slow down wound healing. Therefore, we have decided to use the probiotic Lactococcus lactis MG1363 as the chassis organism for genetic engineering, and this strain is on the iGEM whitelist.

Regarding safety, probiotics for topical skin use have already been applied in commercial cosmetics and in the clinical treatment of certain skin diseases, so we believe it will not pose any harm to humans. This strain has undergone a series of safety tests, has been applied clinically, and has passed certain stages of evaluation. Additionally, some research suggests that probiotics may have the potential to stabilize or restore the balance of the human skin microbiome, as well as enhance the host immune system. This can strengthen the immune barrier and promote natural wound healing, so we hope can take the suggestions concerning the stabilization of skin microbiome into our future work.