Researchers in China said they have developed a “smart living glue” made from engineered gut bacteria that can detect internal bleeding and help repair intestinal damage, offering a targeted new approach to treating inflammatory bowel disease.

The research, reported by state-run Xinhua News on Tuesday, said it uses a harmless, modified strain of Escherichia coli, a common gut bacterium, to respond to severe inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups.

The work was published on Monday (19 January) in Nature Biotechnology by a team from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology and Shenzhen University.

Scientists engineered the bacteria with a gene circuit that is activated by the presence of blood in the gut, a key indicator of mucosal injury and active bleeding in severe cases of inflammatory bowel disease.

Once triggered, the bacteria produce a sticky protein that forms a durable seal over the bleeding area.

According to the study, the bacteria also release a therapeutic agent that promotes healing of the damaged gut lining. The microbes are grown in liquid and taken orally, allowing them to travel through the digestive system and activate only at specific injury sites.

“The engineered microbes are cultured in liquid and orally administered. Once activated in the gut, they form a film-like morphology that adheres to specific bleeding sites, where they help stop bleeding and repair damage,” said Zhong Chao, the study’s corresponding author.

The researchers said they plan to move the “living glue” technology toward clinical studies, with the aim of providing a more precise treatment option for patients with bowel diseases, reducing the need for broad-acting drugs that can affect healthy tissue.

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