Developing Designer Probiotic Cocktails to Reduce Foodbourne Illness among Warfighters
Abstract
The proposed research aims to explore designer probiotic cocktails~mixtures of custom-tailored probiotic bacteria~to reduce potential foodborne illness. Using bacterial pathogens as model foodborne pathogens, probiotic strains will be engineered using synthetic biology techniques to inhibit the growth of specific pathogens and also to enhance host tolerance to these pathogens. The PI~s expertise in synthetic biology, as applied to the engineering of lactic acid bacteria, will be channeled toward 3 objectives: (1) Engineering probiotic strains to overproduce precision-guided antimicrobials that allow for specific killing of pathogens without impacting normal flora; (2) developing strategies to enhance host tolerance to foodborne pathogens through the minimization of host exposure to pathogens, suppression of immune recognition of pathogens, and control of inflammatory damage; and (3) testing the cocktails using a mouse model, addressing their safety, and further examining the administration feasibility of the approach by developing capsules and yogurt.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141612525
Entities
People
- Lu Ting
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign