PARIS, July 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time,
a team of scientists at Eligo has demonstrated it was possible
to genetically modify bacteria with nearly 100% efficiency directly
in the gut of animals. This work provides scientists with a novel
strategy to better understand how genes from our microbiome drive
disease, as well as creates new opportunities for the development
of innovative therapies. (Read the study
here / the full press release here).
The microbiome, composed of billions of bacteria, is essential
to our health. However, we are discovering that bacterial genes are
implicated in a growing number of diseases: from bacterial peptides
that trigger autoimmune diseases to virulence factors that
contribute to inflammation, tumor formation, and neurodegenerative
diseases.
"What Eligo has achieved shows that it's now possible to make
specific changes to the DNA of bacteria in the gut, similar to
how scientists have been editing human genes to investigate
or treat genetic disorders," said David Bikard,
cofounder of
Eligo Bioscience and researcher at the Institut
Pasteur in Paris.
Eligo demonstrated the ability to engineer a bacteriophage-derived capsid
containing a synthetic DNA payload encoding a
base-editor system. After oral administration to mice, the
capsid delivered the payload with extreme efficiency to target
bacterial populations residing among the hundreds of bacterial
species in the mouse gut. Remarkably, the system could
precisely inactivate
antibiotic resistance genes by creating
single-base pair mutations in the corresponding
genes. When targeting E. coli strains, the technology
modified the target gene in over 90% of the bacteria, reaching up
to 99.7% in some cases.
Jesus Fernandez, Eligo VP of Technology and a senior
author of the study, highlights how "this
achievement is the culmination of eight years of work by the team
at Eligo Bioscience and represents a paradigm shift in
microbiome research. This leap forward provides Eligo with a unique
edge within the industry to develop novel genetic medicines, as
well as to find novel targets. We finally now have a tool to
interrogate the role of specific bacterial genes in health and
disease."
About Eligo Bioscience
Eligo is pioneering in microbiome in-vivo
gene editing and is advancing a highly differentiated pipeline of
precision medicines to address unmet medical needs
in immuno-inflammation, oncology, and infectious diseases.
For more information: https://eligo.bio/
Contact: DUPORTET Xavier;
xavier.duportet@eligo-bioscience.com
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