A research team from East China Normal University in Shanghai developed an engineered oral-deliverable glucose-sensing and functional response probiotic (GIFT) living drug.
I’m fine with the probiotic bit, but they made it sound like they put it into a ‘synthetic organ’ and I find engineering little organs creepy (though neat). If it’s just a super-probiotic I’m not creeped out! Either way I’m excited for all the people.
I think they’re calling it an organ for the supposed benefit of the reader (and for the shock value of the term “synthetic organ”) because it responds to certain gut conditions in a way that would suggest a more complex functionality than a layperson would attribute to bacteria. It’s not actually an organ.
I’m fine with the probiotic bit, but they made it sound like they put it into a ‘synthetic organ’ and I find engineering little organs creepy (though neat). If it’s just a super-probiotic I’m not creeped out! Either way I’m excited for all the people.
I think they’re calling it an organ for the supposed benefit of the reader (and for the shock value of the term “synthetic organ”) because it responds to certain gut conditions in a way that would suggest a more complex functionality than a layperson would attribute to bacteria. It’s not actually an organ.
i felt the same way about baboon hearts back in the 90’s, but they worked and helped people.