Genomic Tools Transform Neonatal Probiotics From Folk Remedies to Precision Medicine

From the moment of birth, the human gut begins a microbial negotiation that will shape a lifetime of health — and for premature infants, that negotiation can turn fatal. Across centuries, healers intuited that certain natural compounds could guide this process, but only now, through whole-genome sequencing and synthetic biology, is medicine approaching the precision such fragile lives demand. The promise of engineered probiotics tailored to individual newborns sits alongside a sobering record of harm, reminding us that the closer we draw to life's most fundamental processes, the more carefully