Crohn’s disease is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases of the small and large intestine. The symptoms include diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and abdominal pain due to inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. Currently, there is no known cure for the disease. The symptoms can be managed using medication but not the underlying cause. The gut microbiome consists of trillions of microbes that have huge potential to impact our physiology by contributing to metabolic functions, regulation of immune system and resistance to pathogens. The interaction between microbes and gut cells is an important one as it can trigger immune response to dysbiosis. Probiotics are living medicine, which help the gut stay healthy by maintaining a good balance between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ microbes. The gut microbiome of a Crohn’s disease patient differs from that of a healthy patient in terms of microbial composition and mutations in epithelial gut cells. BioZone researchers are working to genetically engineer probiotic strains to produce therapeutic molecules and assess the effect on the gut cells to help treat Crohn’s disease.
Ruhi Choudhary
