Research Seminar: Metagenomic Editing of Commensal Bacteria In Vivo: From Discovery to Translational Tools – Dr. Carlotta Ronda

Research Seminar: Metagenomic Editing of Commensal Bacteria In Vivo: From Discovery to Translational Tools – Dr. Carlotta Ronda

 
 
Location:
Lecture Theatre B1001, Gordon B. Shrum Building – 6088 University Boulevard, Vancouver BC
 
 

This talk will present an in vivo platform for engineering microbes directly within their native ecosystem, without disrupting community structure or requiring isolation. By integrating mobilome engineering and CRISPR-associated transposases, this system enables kilobase-scale, multiplexed, base-pair–level genome editing across diverse microbial species, including those that are genetically recalcitrant or uncultivable. These capabilities support causal, high-throughput mapping of microbial gene functions, functional modulation of pathways, programmed niche engraftment, and investigation of complex microbial communities in their natural context. Building on this foundation, the platform has been adapted to a translational format that simultaneously disrupts pathogen virulence, delivers protective and immune-stimulatory functions, and enables targeted control of engineered strains. Together, these advances highlight the potential of precision in situ microbiome editing to drive fundamental discovery, deepen understanding of microbial community dynamics, and inform development of next-generation microbiome-based therapeutics.

 

 
 
Dr. Carlotta Ronda’s Biography:

Dr. Carlotta Ronda is a Principal Investigator at the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley, who pioneered targeted in situ microbiome editing tools to engineer microbes within their native ecosystems. Her lab integrates systems biology, synthetic biology, multi-omics, and computational modeling to decode and reprogram host–microbiome interactions. Combining high-throughput organoid assays, precision microbiome editing, and computational approaches, her team maps microbial signaling networks and develops strategies to modulate them. Beyond microbiome engineering, her group advances CRISPR technologies and organoid–microbiome co-cultures to study host–microbe communication and enable functional modulation in microbial and eukaryotic systems. She earned her B.Sc. degree in Molecular Biology from Padua University, her M.Sc.Eng. in Biotechnology from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and her Ph.D. in Systems Biology from DTU and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability. She began developing her approach to editing complex microbial communities at Columbia University and continues this work at IGI.