Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41387457›Full record

ReviewNPJ biofilms and microbiomes2025

CRISPR-engineered microbiome: living therapeutics revolutionize blood cancer immunotherapy.

Fang Cheng, Hamed Soleimani Samarkhazan, Yeganeh Khazaei

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in NPJ biofilms and microbiomes, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Fang ChengThe Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China. fangcheng@hactcm.edu.cn.
Hamed Soleimani SamarkhazanStudent Research Committee, Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. hamed.soleimani.s@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1045-7613
Yeganeh KhazaeiStudent Research Committee, Varastegan Institute for Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-1955-5022

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma remain refractory in many patients due to immune escape, antigen heterogeneity, and therapy‑related toxicities. To address these challenges, we review recent strategies that harness CRISPR‑engineered gut commensals as precision "living therapeutics" to modulate host immunity and directly target malignant clones. We frame this review around three principal themes: (1) mechanistic strategies whereby CRISPR-engineered commensals modulate host immunity and directly antagonize malignant clones; (2) the enabling technologies and delivery/containment platforms, CRISPR variants, phage/LNP delivery, genetic circuits and biocontainment, that make living therapeutics feasible; and (3) translational progress, outstanding technical and safety barriers, and ethical/regulatory challenges that must be addressed for clinical deployment. To illustrate these themes, we discuss three concrete therapeutic modalities: engineered microbial secretion of immunomodulators, targeted delivery of tumor-lytic payloads, and engineered production of anticancer metabolites, and how these are enabled by contemporary CRISPR and synthetic-biology toolkits. Selected preclinical models report substantial antitumor effects, often >60% tumor reduction in rodent studies, and restoration of CAR-T cell function in controlled settings; however, effect sizes vary across models, and human translation remains unproven. We also analyze key technical barriers, strain stability, biocontainment, off‑target effects, and propose solutions, including auxotrophic kill-switches and AI‑guided strain optimization. Finally, we outline future directions, from in situ phage delivery to multi‑omics-driven patient stratification. CRISPR‑microbiome editing represents a paradigm shift in hematologic oncology, offering localized, sustained therapy with reduced systemic toxicity.

Indexed as

CRISPR-Cas SystemsGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHematologic NeoplasmsImmunotherapyMicrobiotaAnimalsHumans

Identifiers

PMID41387457
PMCPMC12816696

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.