(Photo of the human gut (licensing information here)

“What kind of water would you like? Tap or bottled?” “Bottled, please.”

It is known that when traveling internationally, it is typically unsafe to drink tap water. This is due to the lack of familiarity with the filtering systems used by other countries. This caution extends to certain foods as well. However, Dr. Pamela Silver, Dr. Jeffrey Way, and Dr. Donald Ingber, investigators at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, may have found a solution to many acute gastrointestinal illnesses, such as this one, that affect the human gut microbiome.

Their goal is to create a bacteria that can detect and fight microbial invaders. This genetically engineered bacteria will specialize in detecting the chemicals given off by gastrointestinal inflammation. After the bacteria makes the detection, it will begin to attack all microbial invaders and restore normality within the gastrointestinal tract. The bacteria will be created in a probiotic pill form. In order to make sure that this probiotic pill does not have a negative impact on the environment after it exits the gastrointestinal tract, Silver and Way will ensure that it will not work unless it is in a specific environment and is triggered by specific chemical signals, both specific to the environment and signals found in the gastrointestinal tract.

Silver, Way, and Ingber will use the gut-on-a-chip technology to test this probiotic pill. The gut-on-a-chip technology will allow them to mimic gastrointestinal inflammation with living human cells. The team plans to study the response of invaders and pathogens, that are causing the inflammation, to the genetically engineered bacteria.

This research will allow for the treatment of a multitude of gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as the introduction to treating other diseases that negatively impact the human gut microbiome. I would love not having to worry about what I drink or eat on vacation! I am excited to see where this newly found research takes the discussion and the treatment of illnesses related to the human gut micobiome.

Source: Biology News