09.490 - Enteric Delivery of Biologics

Patent Reference: International Patent Publication No. WO2006/079790.

Simon Carding, Institute of Food Research (Norwich, UK)
Mark Farrar, Leeds University (UK)


The diet-inducible expression of therapeutic proteins from a human commensal bacterium provides for an effective therapeutic intervention for immune-mediated iseases 

• The gut-commensal bacterium Bacteroides ovatus is part of the natural human enteric microflora, and has been shown to provide beneficial effects when administered as a probiotic.
• Secretion of therapeutic proteins occurs only in response to the presence of xylan, so delivery is tuneable to disease severity.
• Obligate anaerobiosis and antibiotic sensitivity provides greater biosafety
• Exemplification in an animal model of acute colitis, using TGFâ or KGF as the therapeutic agent.
• Therapeutic is produced locally at the site of damage, and is not systemically disseminated, leading to lower risk of side effects.


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