Grant: Project Grant

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis, affect over 300,000 Canadians and millions of people worldwide, causing chronic pain, inflammation, and serious disruptions to daily life. Administering beneficial bacteria such as E. coli Nissle probiotics has shown promise in treating IBD by improving gut health and reducing inflammation. However, delivering probiotics via oral administration (e.g., pills) is challenging. As living organisms, bacterial probiotics are often killed by stomach acid or fail to survive competition from the body's existing gut microbiome, severely limiting probiotic survival and retention in the gut and thus reducing therapeutic effects. To address this problem, we are developing a nanotechnology-based approach to improve probiotic therapies for IBD. We are creating protective particles called "microgels" to serve as delivery vehicles for probiotics. These microgels mimic the protective nanostructured web that bacteria naturally create in the form of biofilms. Probiotics will be housed within these protective microgels, shielding them from stomach acid while providing a supportive inner chamber for growth. These vehicles will also enhance probiotic adhesion to the intestinal lining, allowing them to persist longer and exert greater therapeutic effects by reducing inflammation and promoting gut health. We will use microscopy to visualize probiotics within the particles and optimize our nanotechnologies to improve protection and growth. Subsequently, we will test our system in mouse models and advanced cell cultures using cells of colitis patients to assess the safety and therapeutic benefit of probiotic delivery using microgels. By enhancing probiotic survival in the gut, this approach could overcome current clinical limitations of probiotic therapies and transform IBD management and treatment outcomes.