Nucleic Acids Research (2026). DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkag422"> Figure. Schematic illustration of the base editing-based biocontainment system targeting essential genes. Credit: Nucleic Acids Research (2026). DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkag422 Engineered microorganisms are widely used in industrial biotechnology and biopharmaceutical applications, including the production of biofuels, sustainable chemicals, and therapeutic compounds. However, concerns remain regarding the unintended environmental release and uncontrolled proliferation of genetically engineered microbes. For this reason, biocontainment technologies, which are designed to prevent microorganisms from surviving outside controlled environments, have become increasingly important in both academia and industry. Limitations of existing biocontainment approaches Conventional biocontainment strategies have relied on auxotrophy-based approaches, toxin–antitoxin systems, or DNA cleavage-based technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9.…