Seminar: Carolina Tropini

How the gut environment shapes the microbiota: Mechanisms and engineering opportunities

Physical forces in the gut shape microbial ecology in ways that remain poorly understood, despite growing recognition of their relevance to disease and therapy. Gut pathologies alter osmolality, pH, and temperature, disrupting localized microbial niches and driving changes in microbiota composition and function. Our interdisciplinary approach combines microbiology, ecology, and bioengineering to examine how such physical perturbations—induced by disease or drugs—affect microbial resilience and pathogenesis. We show that even mild disruptions can eliminate commensals or enhance pathogen expansion, with consequences for host health. Building on these insights, we are engineering biosensor probiotics that detect and report on gut environmental status. By bridging physical microbiology and synthetic biology, this work lays the groundwork for precision diagnostics and microbiota therapies informed by the gut’s physical landscape.