During the 9th Microbiome Movement Summit Europe, held recently in Barcelona (Spain) Microbiomepost sat down with David Paez-Espino, Co-founder & CTO at Ancilia Biosciences.

In this interview, David Paez-Espino discusses the company’s groundbreaking use of CRISPR technology to develop a new class of bacterial therapies that address critical gaps in microbiome-based treatments. 

Ancillia is focused on integrating CRISPR’s natural functions to engineer bacterial products with enhanced immunity against the viruses that often impact bacteria within the microbiome.

Paez-Espino highlights the growing need to consider the viral components of the microbiome, which are typically overlooked in current bacterial therapies. By utilizing CRISPR as an adaptive immune system for bacteria, Ancillia is developing bacterial therapies that are resistant to destructive viruses, potentially improving the efficacy and clinical outcomes of microbiome-based treatments. This approach represents a novel strategy to bridge the gap between bacterial therapies and the viral dynamics that shape the microbiome, opening new possibilities for precision microbiome medicine.