Development of drug delivery systems effective in targeted delivery with a minimum of adverse effects is extremely important in numerous diseases.

A new and innovative application is to use bacteria as delivery vectors of therapeutic proteins to surfaces of the intestine.

We will develop a drug delivery system based on the Lactococcus lactis bacterium for treatment of the inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s Disease (CD). L. lactis will be bioengineered to ferry and release a specific enzyme to diseased intestinal cells.

New scientific reports demonstrate that L. lactis can be bioengineered to produce and deliver specific proteins at the gut mucosa, and that this enzyme promotes intestinal wound healing. We will combine this knowledge into a novel treatment strategy for CD, and verify effects in cell-based and porcine disease models.

The application and perspective of the project is supported by the collaboration with an acknowledged pharmaceutical company.