Post by National University of Singapore

A life-saving bacteria cocktail: Scientists from NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI), led by Prof Matthew Chang, have engineered a naturally occurring beneficial gut bacterium into a programmable “living medicine”. The therapy targets hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a severe brain dysfunction linked to liver failure. #NUSImpact NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine    Unlike current treatments which typically target only a single root cause, this breakthrough demonstrates the development of a multi-functional, programmable microbial therapy that can tackle several disease drivers simultaneously inside the body. #NUSResearch    The therapy combines two engineered gut-bacteria strains: one absorbs excess gut ammonia and converts it into nutrients lacking in HE patients, while the other reduces ammonia production. Compared with a standard HE antibiotic, the cocktail achieved stronger improvements in anxiety and short-term memory, while also reduced inflammation in the brain. #NUSInnovation https://lnkd.in/gie_HkQc