New discoveries in drugs and drug delivery systems are focused on identifying and delivering a pharmacologically effective agent, potentially targeting a specific molecular component. However, current drug discovery and therapeutic delivery approaches do not necessarily exploit the complex regulatory network of an indispensable microbiota that has been engineered through evolutionary processes in humans or has been altered by environmental exposure or diseases. The human microbiome, in all its complexity, plays an integral role in the maintenance of host functions such as metabolism and immunity. However, dysregulation in this intricate ecosystem has been linked with a variety of diseases, ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to cancer. Therapeutics and bacteria have an undeniable effect on each other and understanding the interplay between microbes and drugs could lead to new therapies, or to changes in how existing drugs are delivered. In addition, targeting the human microbiome using engineered therapeutics has the potential to address global health challenges. Here, we present the challenges and cutting-edge developments in microbiome-immune cell interactions and outline novel targeting strategies to advance drug discovery and therapeutics, which are defining a new era of personalized and precision medicine.

药物和药物输送系统的新发现集中于识别和输送药理学上有效的药剂，可能针对特定的分子成分。然而，当前的药物发现和治疗递送方法不一定利用不可或缺的微生物群的复杂调节网络，这些微生物群是通过人类进化过程设计的，或者已因环境暴露或疾病而改变。人类微生物组虽然复杂，但在维持新陈代谢和免疫等宿主功能中发挥着不可或缺的作用。然而，这个复杂的生态系统的失调与多种疾病有关，从炎症性肠病到癌症。治疗方法和细菌之间有着不可否认的影响，了解微生物和药物之间的相互作用可能会带来新的疗法，或者改变现有药物的输送方式。此外，利用工程疗法针对人类微生物组有可能解决全球健康挑战。在这里，我们提出了微生物组-免疫细胞相互作用的挑战和前沿发展，并概述了推进药物发现和治疗的新颖靶向策略，这正在定义个性化和精准医学的新时代。