Project 467229

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a major health burden in Canada. Incidence of IBD has increased substantially in recent years, and Canada has among the highest rates of IBD globally. Although the cause of IBD is not fully understood, it may be a result of interactions between genetics, environmental factors, and an aberrant host immune response. IBD cannot currently be prevented, and there is no functional cure. Probiotics are a potential novel therapy for IBD. Probiotic therapy involves the ingestion of non-pathogenic microorganisms to exert a positive effect. We are working with collaborators at UBC Okanagan who have developed genetically engineered probiotics that are modified to enhance colonization or persistence in the inflamed IBD gut. These bacteria, known as BioPersist and BioColonize, are developed from the parent strains of Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus reuteri, both of which are non-pathogenic human gut microbes. To assess the effect of these genetically engineered bacteria on reducing inflammation in the IBD gut, we will test the two probiotics in a mouse model of IBD. This mouse model is deficient in a protein known as SHIP, which results in spontaneous inflammation and fibrosis limited to a specific area of the gut. This experiment includes administering the probiotics to our SHIP mouse model and healthy control mice, and monitoring mice for 4 weeks. Tissue samples will be collected, and experiments will be conducted to assess if the probiotics were successful at colonizing and surviving in the IBD gut, and if any beneficial effects such as reduced inflammation were seen.