UC Berkeley Researchers Use CRISPR to Reprogram Gut Bacteria

Microbiome editing could lead to new therapies for various diseases

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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Researchers at UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute, led by principal investigator Carlotta Ronda, are using CRISPR gene editing to modify the gut microbiome in ways that could improve human health. By disabling certain genes and introducing new ones, the team aims to engineer the microbiome to fight infections, protect the gut barrier, and produce beneficial metabolites.

Why it matters

The human microbiome plays a crucial role in our overall health, from digestion to immune function. Reprogramming the gut bacteria using CRISPR could lead to new probiotic-based therapies for a wide range of disorders, transforming how we approach disease treatment.

The details

Ronda and her colleagues were the first to directly disable an entire gene in the gut microbiome of mice and then introduce a new gene that helped the mouse's immune system fight infection. They have also edited microbes in the guts of mice to stimulate the release of GLP-1, which protects the gut barrier and accelerates tissue healing. The team's goal is to "reprogram" the microbiome's genetic diversity to positively impact human health, treating the microbiome as a "gene therapy" for various disorders.

  • Ronda and her team at UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute have been working on microbiome editing using CRISPR since 2021.

The players

Carlotta Ronda

A principal investigator at UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute who is leading the research on using CRISPR to reprogram the gut microbiome.

UC Berkeley

The university where Ronda and her team are conducting their research on microbiome editing using CRISPR technology.

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What they’re saying

“Microbiome editing is the ability to genetically modify bacteria in our gut. Since the number of microbial cells in our microbiome exceeds the number of cells in our body, genetically speaking, we are more bacterial than human.”

— Carlotta Ronda, Principal Investigator, Innovative Genomics Institute, UC Berkeley (Mirage News)

“If you think about the genetic diversity we have in our gut, they are little factories that are constantly producing a lot of metabolites. They affect our immune system, how we age, everything. So we are trying to reprogram them for our health. It's a gene therapy of the microbiome.”

— Carlotta Ronda, Principal Investigator, Innovative Genomics Institute, UC Berkeley (Mirage News)

What’s next

Ronda and her team plan to continue their research on using CRISPR to edit the gut microbiome, with the goal of developing new probiotic-based therapies for a variety of health conditions.

The takeaway

Reprogramming the gut microbiome using CRISPR gene editing could revolutionize how we approach disease treatment, transforming the microbiome into a powerful "gene therapy" to improve human health.