Building on a growing, global scientific interest in the human microbiome — the colony of bacteria and microscopic forms that live in the gut, skin and other organs of the body — the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh (IMTech), is working on a programme to tap its vast collection of microbial samples and develop therapeutic products or drugs.
The human body is estimated to have about 35 trillion cells, and about two to three times as many microbial organisms. Most of them live in the gastrointestinal tract, which is home to around 3,000-4,000 species of bacteria, not including viruses and other life forms. Some are harmful and many, not.
The global probiotics (or beneficial bacteria) industry has already started using certain species of bacteria as healing or curative agents. Mother Dairy, Amul, Danone Yakult, and Nestle India are among the leading producers of probiotic functional foods and beverages in India. Their foods use lactobacilli and bifidobacteria to make yoghurt, curd, and several dietary supplements.
Burgeoning evidence
On the other hand, burgeoning evidence suggests that atherosclerosis, obesity, intestinal problems, and many psychological disorders lead to distinct changes in the composition of bacteria in the gut. Restoring balance or teasing out how the by-products of these organisms lead to chemical changes that cause disease, is at the heart of research.
In 2016, IMTech researchers reported in the Frontiers of Immunology how drugs used to treat tuberculosis changed the gut microbial profile in mice. This led them to posit that “microbial therapy could help people suffering from TB.”
IMTech has a library of about 40,000 microbial cell cultures (not all of them relevant to humans) of varied provenance. According to Anil Koul, Director, IMTech, their research programme aims to find out what combinations of bacterial species can be used for potential therapeutics.
“We have scanned genomes before, and have a lot of expertise. But now we are looking at industry and research collaborations to see how these bacteria can be combined in effective ways,” he said in an interview.
