Researchers published dual reports detailing an engineered nonpathogenic Escherichia coli system that senses gastrointestinal bleeding and secretes both a barnacle‑inspired adhesive (CP43K) and a therapeutic factor (TFF3) to adhere to inflamed mucosa and promote healing in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Nature Biotechnology paper and an accompanying abstract demonstrate that bleeding‑induced adhesion enables sustained colonization for days and that treated mice showed improved weight recovery, reduced colonic shortening, decreased intestinal bleeding, and restored barrier integrity. Adhesion depended on the bleeding cue, minimizing off‑target attachment. This autonomous, cue‑responsive approach addresses two key delivery challenges: localized, durable retention and on‑demand therapeutic release. Authors noted translational hurdles—safety, containment, immunogenicity, and regulatory pathways for live engineered therapeutics—that must be addressed before clinical testing.