February 11, 2021
The discovery of an “Achilles’ heel” in a type of gut bacteria that causes intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn’s disease may lead to more targeted therapies for the difficult-to-treat disease, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.
In a study published Feb. 5 in Cell Host and Microbe, the investigators showed that patients with Crohn’s disease have an overabundance of a type of gut bacteria called adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC), which
promotes inflammation in the intestine. Their experiments revealed that a metabolite produced by the bacteria interacts with immune system cells in the lining of the intestine, triggering inflammation.
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian report they have discovered a weak spot in the gut bacteria, adherent-invasive Escherichia coli, which may lead to more targeted therapies for Crohn's disease.
Discovery of ‘Achilles heel’ in gut bacteria may lead to targeted therapies for Crohn’s disease
The discovery of an Achilles heel in a type of gut bacteria that causes intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn s disease may lead to more targeted therapies for the difficult to treat disease, according to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.
In a study published Feb. 3 in
Cell Host and Microbe, the investigators showed that patients with Crohn s disease have an overabundance of a type of gut bacteria called adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC), which promotes inflammation in the intestine. Their experiments revealed that a metabolite produced by the bacteria interacts with immune system cells in the lining of the intestine, triggering inflammation. Interfering with this process, by either reducing the bacteria s food supply or eliminating a key enzyme in the process relieved gut inflammation in a mouse model of Crohn s disease.