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Next-generation probiotics: an outlook into current applications and future developments
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DOI：10.1038/s41579-026-01311-0.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
The probiotics field, a historically popular yet scientifically debated discipline, is moving beyond a decades-long promotion of ‘first-generation’ food-derived strains towards the development of ‘next-generation probiotics’ (NGP) or ‘precision probiotics’, natural and engineered strains featuring improved human colonization, clinical efficacy and safety profiles. In this Review, we outline the evolution of NGP and means by which their development is designed to tackle challenges of live bacterial therapy related to colonization resistance, in-host evolution, long-term safety and insufficient understanding of therapeutic and off-target mechanisms of activity. We showcase how a variety of emerging strategies enable the identification of NGP strains and define consortia featuring therapeutic potentials in metabolic, immune and oncological diseases. Finally, we discuss how computational and artificial intelligence (AI) advances can reshape NGP development, including AI-based discovery of strains and bioactive compounds; computational-driven design of engineered microorganisms and multi-kingdom consortia; and AI-assisted structural and metabolic network-based modelling predicting personalized NGP function, interactions and therapeutic impacts. In this Review, Kern, Tofield, Frame and Elinav discuss recent advances in the design of next-generation probiotics, from identification of candidates to therapeutic applications across diverse disease contexts, and highlight major challenges and the potential of artificial intelligence to develop effective, personalized probiotics with therapeutic functions.
Keywords:
Next-generation probiotics
precision probiotics
live bacterial therapy
artificial intelligence
therapeutic applications
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