Microbe-specific and product-specific strategies for scalable biomanufacturing

The translation of microbial biotechnology from laboratory research to commercial application remains a persistent challenge, despite decades of effort. A key yet often neglected issue is the misalignment between microbial host selection, product properties, and process constraints at the early stages, which often limits scalability. Here, we propose Microbe-Specific and Product-Specific Strategies (MPSS) as a conceptual framework to rationalize host-product pairing based on intrinsic microbial traits and product specifications. By incorporating Applied Microbial Population Biology (AMPB), the framework extends this rationale to the strain level, emphasizing application-oriented strain selection and engineering from the outset of a project. Together, MPSS and AMPB offer a structured approach to align early-stage laboratory research with the practical requirements of industrial biomanufacturing, enabling the development of biotechnological solutions with significant societal and economic impact.