https://video.igem.org/videos/watch/4eb7eb85-ca2c-45de-a909-f61fa66d6054 Title: EMPOWER: Engineering Microbes to Promote Ovarian WEllbeing and recovery Description: Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) affects 1 in 8 women of reproductive age. Despite its prevalence, no approved disease-modifying treatment exists. Emerging evidence implicates the involvement of the intestinal microbiome. We hypothesize that microbial shifts alter the bile acid pool, contributing to metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, hyperandrogenism, and reproductive complications. Since the gut commensal Phocaeicola vulgatus is reportedly enriched in PMOS patients, bile salt hydrolase (BSH) levels rise in parallel, resulting in alterations of bile acid composition and downstream signaling. Rather than eliminating this bacterium, we engineered it as a therapeutic chassis. To enable genetic engineering of this non-model anaerobe, we developed a dedicated synthetic biology toolkit including characterized promoters, optimized conjugation protocols, and chassis characterization. Using this platform, we screened and validated 15 BSH homologs to design EMPOWER: a patient-derived P. vulgatus strain in which CRISPR-mediated BSH replacement restores a bile acid profile that preserves beneficial TGR5 signaling. Wiki | Official Page Thu, 29 Oct 2026 22:24:33 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://video.igem.org https://video.igem.org/client/assets/images/icons/icon-1500x1500.png https://video.igem.org/videos/watch/4eb7eb85-ca2c-45de-a909-f61fa66d6054 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://video.igem.org/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.