Ecological Safety

Transient gut passage is presented as safer and more predictable than permanently seeding the microbiome. The engineered modification is described as chromosomal and free of antibiotic resistance markers or selection cassettes. The bacteria can reproduce during manufacturing, so the safety argument is not based on making them unable to reproduce. The article argues that containment alone is inadequate for ingested live engineered organisms. ZBiotics' safety argument includes using a common function that does not give bacteria a meaningful competitive advantage.