Gut Guard: Bioengineering Probiotics to Express Artificial Antibodieson Its Surface

The team expects that the cultured transgenic Escherichia coli, Lactococcus lactis, and yeast can successfully express artificial antibodies on the surface and exhibit the ability to bind to antigens. The experiment will be carried out under the guidance of DKU Professor Huang Linfeng. This experiment is divided into four test items: free antigen-free antibody interaction, free antigen-antibody bacterial interaction, antibody-engineered bacteria-antigen engineered bacteria interaction, and pathogen-antibody engineered bacteria interaction. The research background of this project is based on Shigella detection and treatment. Shigella is a highly-contagious, intestinal invasive, and incidental toxin-releasing pathogen, and even low doses of 10-100 microorganisms can cause severe colorectal mucosal infection and bacillary dysentery. The research goal of this project is to inhibit the growth of intestinal bacterial pathogens through the adhesion of probiotics to pathogens. In addition, the team’s research methods advance in their clever use of the antibacterial properties of probiotics, such as Escherichia coli Nissle 1917, aiming to provide a new way for intestinal-targeted specific drug delivery. Combining the antibacterial properties of probiotics and artificial antibody-targeted therapy, this therapy has great potential in the treatment of intestinal bacterial infections.