In a laboratory in Pohang, South Korea, scientists have built a new tool that acts like a treasure map for microbes — one that points to hidden genetic treasures capable of turning ordinary bacteria into tiny chemical factories.
The platform, called iTARGET, was developed by researchers from POSTECH, Incheon National University, Seoul National University, and UNIST. Its goal is to find genetic changes that help microbes produce more of the valuable compounds we need — from medicines to bioplastics — in a faster, smarter way.
"Finding the right genetic changes to transform an ordinary microbe into a high-performing producer remains a major challenge," the research team acknowledged in their paper published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology. That's because beneficial genetic changes are often buried deep within complex cellular networks, making them hard to spot using traditional methods.
To test their new tool, the researchers worked with naringenin, a plant-derived compound that serves as a building block for medicines and other health products. The iTARGET workflow works in stages: first, it introduces random genetic changes across the microbe's genome while a biosensor selectively enriches only the cells producing higher levels of naringenin. Then, it identifies which genetic modifications caused the improvement. Finally, it combines the most promising targets in different ways to find the best-performing strains.
The results were striking. The initial enrichment process boosted naringenin production by 1.7 times compared to untreated cells. Further analysis uncovered 10 promising genetic targets, and nine of them were experimentally confirmed to enhance production on their own. The single most effective modification alone increased output by 2.3-fold. But when researchers combined two of the best targets together, the microbe produced 2.8 times more naringenin than it started with.
"The primary application of iTARGET is to rapidly develop and optimize high-performance microbial cell factories for the bio-based production of valuable chemicals," said Professor Sungho Jang of Incheon National University. He explained that this approach could help create low-cost, sustainable products including bioplastics, biofuels, flavors, and pharmaceutical ingredients.
Looking ahead, the team believes iTARGET could be adapted to work with a wide range of microorganisms and products beyond naringenin. As new biosensors are developed for different chemicals, Professor Jang noted, the platform could optimize production of "a vastly expanded spectrum of valuable compounds."
For anyone concerned about the environmental impact of making everyday products, this research offers a glimpse of a future where bacteria help manufacture the things we need — without the pollution that often comes from traditional chemical production.