Development strategies for engineered live biotherapeutic products for metabolic diseases

Metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, have risen due to lifestyle changes. Traditional treatments, including dietary modifications and pharmacological interventions, are limited by low compliance and adverse effects, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic approaches that offer improved patient compliance and long-term effectiveness. Engineered live biotherapeutic products (eLBPs) have emerged as a promising strategy that combines bacterial chassis with synthetic genetic circuits for precise and targeted disease treatment. Unlike conventional therapeutics, eLBPs can colonize the intestinal tract and enable localized and condition-responsive therapeutic activity while offering improved safety profiles through defined mechanisms of action. This review highlights key strategies for eLBP development, particularly chassis selection and genetic circuit design. Applications in metabolic diseases, including inherited disorders such as phenylketonuria (PKU), demonstrate how engineered gene circuits can modulate specific metabolic pathways. However, several challenges remain, including genetic stability, interindividual variability, biological safety, and production scalability. In addition, further research on host-microbiota interactions is required to improve therapeutic predictability and efficacy, supporting the development of safe and effective personalized eLBP-based therapies for metabolic diseases.