Eligo Publishes in Nature a Landmark Study That Unlocks Genome Editing of Bacteria in the Gut
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July 11, 2024
PARIS, July 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, a team of scientists atEligo 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/thefullpressrelease 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 triggerautoimmune 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 ofbacteria in the gut, similar to how scientists have been editing human genes to investigate ortreatgeneticdisorders,"saidDavidBikard, cofounder of EligoBioscienceandresearcherattheInstitut Pasteur in Paris.
Eligodemonstratedtheabilitytoengineerabacteriophage-derivedcapsid containingasyntheticDNA payload encoding a base-editor system. After oral administration to mice, the capsiddelivered the payload with extreme efficiency to target bacterial populations residing among thehundreds of bacterial species in the mouse gut. Remarkably, the system could preciselyinactivate antibioticresistancegenesbycreating single-basepairmutations inthecorresponding 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.
JesusFernandez,EligoVPofTechnologyandasenior authorofthestudy,highlightshow"this achievement is the culmination of eight years of work by the team at Eligo Bioscience andrepresents 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
Eligoispioneeringinmicrobiomein-vivo gene editing and is advancing a highly differentiated pipeline of precision medicines to address unmet medical needs inimmuno-inflammation, oncology, and infectious diseases.
Formoreinformation:https://eligo.bio/
Contact: DUPORTET Xavier; xavier.duportet@eligo-bioscience.com
SOURCE Eligo Bioscience
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