Notícia

medtigo (EUA)

Engineered Probiotic Could Tackle Multiple Sclerosis (38 notícias)

Publicado em 10 de agosto de 2023

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a key institution within the Mass General Brigham health care system, have developed a groundbreaking approach to tackle autoimmune conditions affecting the brain, such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

The team has engineered a probiotic solution designed to counteract autoimmunity in the brain by curbing the immune system’s assault on central nervous system cells. The results of their preclinical models have demonstrated the potential of this treatment, highlighting its capacity to offer a more precise method of addressing brain inflammation while minimizing the negative side effects typically associated with standard therapies. The outcomes of their research have been documented in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.

Lead author Francisco Quintana, Ph.D., affiliated with the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, heralded the potential of this innovation, stating, “Engineered probiotics could revolutionize the way we treat chronic diseases.” Quintana pointed out a significant advantage of this approach over traditional drug-based treatments: the ability of living microbes to produce medicine within the body over extended periods. This continuous production of the active compound becomes crucial for managing lifelong conditions that demand ongoing treatment.

Autoimmune diseases collectively affect approximately 5% to 8% of the U.S. population, yet the available treatment options remain limited for most of these conditions. The complexity of autoimmune diseases impacting the brain, like MS, stems from their location within the central nervous system. Many pharmacological therapies struggle to access the brain due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier, a protective barrier that segregates the brain from the circulatory system.

In the pursuit of novel approaches to treat autoimmune diseases, the research team focused on dendritic cells, a type of immune cell abundant in both the gastrointestinal tract and the cerebral spaces. These cells play a crucial role in regulating the wider immune system, although their exact contribution to autoimmune diseases remains incompletely understood. Through the analysis of dendritic cells in mice’s central nervous systems, the researchers identified a biochemical pathway these cells employ to prevent other immune cells from launching attacks on the body.

Quintana elucidated this discovery, likening the mechanism to an immune system brake: “The mechanism we found is like a brake for the immune system. In most of us, it’s activated, but in people with autoimmune diseases, there are problems with this brake system, which means the body has no way to protect itself from its immune system.” Through experimentation, the researchers uncovered that lactate, a molecule integral to numerous metabolic processes, could activate this biochemical brake.

Subsequently, they utilized genetic engineering to design probiotic bacteria capable of producing lactate. While probiotics are familiar as health-promoting supplements, the team ventured to magnify their benefits using synthetic biology. The idea was to leverage these bacteria as bio factories, capable of generating specific compounds pertinent to diseases. This approach marked a novel way to harness the power of probiotics to address autoimmune conditions.

The efficacy of this engineered probiotic was assessed in mice exhibiting a disease closely resembling MS. Astonishingly, despite residing in the gut, the bacteria managed to alleviate the disease’s effects on the brain. Intriguingly, these bacteria were not detected in the bloodstream of the mice, hinting that the observed effects were the result of biochemical communication between gut and brain cells.

The profound influence of gut microbes on the central nervous system has emerged as a notable finding in recent years. Quintana noted, “We’ve learned in recent decades that the microbes of the gut have a significant impact on the central nervous system.” The choice to focus on multiple sclerosis aimed to determine whether this connection could be harnessed for treating brain-based autoimmune diseases and the promising results seem to affirm the feasibility of this approach.

Although the current study exclusively explored the probiotic’s effects in mice, the researchers are optimistic about translating their findings into clinical applications. The selected strain of bacteria for creating the probiotic has already undergone human testing, streamlining the path to clinical trials. The researchers are also adapting their approach to address autoimmune diseases impacting other parts of the body, particularly gastrointestinal conditions like inflammatory bowel syndrome.

The culmination of their efforts could potentially result in the establishment of a new company in collaboration with Mass General Brigham Ventures. This venture would seek to capitalize on the potential of using living cells as a source of internal medicine, offering more personalized and precise therapeutic interventions.

Quintana expressed his confidence in the broader implications of their findings: “If these microbes living in the gut are powerful enough to influence inflammation in the brain, we’re confident we’ll be able to harness their power elsewhere as well.” The prospects of this innovative approach hold great promise for reshaping the landscape of autoimmune disease treatment.