In this episode of Microbiome Zone, Elena Ivanina, DO, MPH, sits down with Kara Margolis, MD, and Sarah Najjar, PhD, to discuss the complex interplay between the microbiome and irritable bowel syndrome—and the role biotherapeutic products may have in mitigating pain commonly associated with IBS.
Researchers used “massive screening technologies for looking at these bacteria … to create a consortium of bacteria that would be most likely to alleviate pain,” said Dr. Najjar, a postdoctoral fellow at NYU, in New York City.
“Based on the bacteria the team identified, they were able to determine which specific functions were associated with anti-pain phenotypes,” said Dr. Margolis, a pediatric gastroenterologist at NYU.
The bacteria are human-produced, Dr. Najjar added, so they would be relatively easy to reproduce and test in clinical trials.
For more interviews with Dr. Ivanina, from the Center for Integrative Gut Health and Gut Love, in New York City, visit GEN’s Microbiome Zone.
—GEN Staff