Innovative Therapeutic Bacteria, a Battle of the Bugs!

Therapeutic bacteria may be the answer to food poisoning. What better way to fight a bad bug than with a good one. Not all super heroes wear capes. Some live in a test tube until they are ready to be deployed.

Researchers from Columbia University are doing just that! Fighting bad bacteria with genetically engineered beneficial ones.

Their methods go beyond basic probiotics. Harris Wang’s microbiologists and genetic engineers are working at the molecular level to build those good bugs.

Ant Man would be proud!

Their team is arming these miniscule microbes with the tools needed to succeed in the microbiome. To chew bubble gum and kick bad bacteria butt. And guess what. They are all out of bubble gum.

What’s a microbiome? How are therapeutic bacteria different from antibiotics and probiotics? How soon could we see this as an option to combat food poisoning?

Follow along for this, and more as Wang’s crew trains these therapeutic bacteria. (Cue Eye of the Tiger theme song)

What is a Microbiome?

A microbiome is a community of microorganisms. Think of it as a communal living scenario. Some are good roommates. Some. Not so much.

This community is made up of fungi, viruses, and bacteria.

Humans have two major microbiomes. A microbiome on the skin. As well as one in the digestive system. When talking about food poisoning, it is the digestive system microbiome that we are interested in.

A person’s microbiome is entirely unique. No two are exactly alike. Our microbiome changes based on our diet, environmental factors, exercise, medication, and other exposures that influence which microbes are present and in what ratio to others.

A healthy microbiome is balanced.

Sufficient beneficial bacteria are present to keep bad bacteria at bay. Competition for resources and even defensive strategies keep those illness-causing germs at safe numbers.

When balance shifts, due to medication, food poisoning, or other outside factors, people get sick.

Dr. Harris Wang, of Columbia University, has found a way to weaponize beneficial bacteria to fight for their cause. And your health.

What exactly are therapeutic bacteria, and how are they different from antibiotics and probiotics?

How Are Therapeutic Bacteria Different from Antibiotics?

Antibiotics aren’t bacteria. Not usually, anyway. While therapeutic bacteria aren’t exactly natural, they are still bacteria.

Both are designed to kill certain harmful germs. But they go about it in different ways.

Antibiotics are medicines that kill certain susceptible germs.

They can be used against respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, skin and soft tissue infections, and gastrointestinal infections (like food poisoning).

These compounds attack bacteria in different ways. Some disrupt their target’s cell walls. Some interfere with DNA replication, making them die off on their own. Others inhibit protein synthesis. All work to slow, stop, or kill the offending germs.

Antibiotics are usually administered by a healthcare provider, filled by a pharmacist, and given with a list of instructions.

Oftentimes, antibiotics kill more than the intended target. A problem that shifts the microbiome for awhile until things become regular again.

How Are Therapeutic Bacteria Different from Probiotics?

While probiotics and therapeutic bacteria are both bacteria and some probiotics are synthetically made like therapeutic bacteria, there are still key differences.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that offer certain health benefits. These are typically yeast and bacteria that are already found in the human digestive system. But they are also grown in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut (traditionally made), kimchi, and kombucha.

Common probiotics include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, and Saccharomyces bouldardi.

Probiotics are beneficial in that they make bad bacteria compete for resources. They starve them out. Some probiotics have been known to also kill harmful bacteria.

Wang explains, while using good bacteria to defeat bad bacteria in the gut microbiome isn’t a new concept. Probiotics are often employed for this practice. But it can be tricky. The microbiome is ever changing and highly influenced by outside factors.

The occasional probiotic dose may not be enough. “That’s one of the challenges with live bacterial therapy. Because they have such a transient nature, their effects are also transient,” says Wang. Probiotics often fail to colonize the gut. Which is why regular doses are key to the long-term effectiveness of their use.

Which is where synthetic therapeutic bacteria come in.

What Are Synthetic Therapeutic Bacteria?

Wang’s lab has discovered a way to harness what scientists call “horizontal gene transfer.” This is something that is naturally occurring. Even naturally occurring in the gut microbiome.

Unfortunately, this often happens in ways that we do not prefer. Multi-drug resistance, increased virulence, etc.

Why not engineer bacteria to transfer genes to harmful bacteria that can make them harmless?

This is exactly what they did. They armed synthetically made bacteria with genetic editor segments that disables toxic genes by editing their genomes. Even better, unlike antibiotics that often create resistant strains that make them less treatable, synthetic therapeutic bacteria can avoid that problem.

“Leveraging natural gene transfer could be a more effective approach without generating resistance.”

Neutralizing bacteria instead of killing them is especially beneficial in bacteria that produce toxins. Certain toxin-producing bacteria, on their way out, dump large amounts of toxins. This can cause more serious illnesses or other complications.

How Soon Can We Expect to See Therapeutic Bacteria as a Mainstream Option?

Unfortunately, we won’t see this option anytime soon. Researchers say that the system still needs some fine-tuning before it can be used in people. It does, however, open the door to the “next-generation living therapeutics” options.

For now, I will continue to foster a good gut microbiome with fermented foods (yogurt is my favorite, followed by naturally fermented pickles) and fermented drinks (kombucha all the way). I will take my antibiotics as prescribed when necessary and try to keep healthy.

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By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)