The United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM), part of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), is collaborating with Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), on a new research project to design strains of probiotic bacteria that can provide health benefits to stimulate immune recognition of influenza.
Respiratory viruses like influenza infect the body through mucosal membranes, and the proof-of-concept project will help evaluate whether snippets of influenza proteins – tiny fragments of the virus – could be added to two common bacterial strains to create the antibody response. Antibodies in the mucosal membranes might then complement those created by traditional intramuscular injections to head off flu infection.
The research will study whether or not the harmless bacteria can be successfully modified to carry snippets of a viral coat protein that could stimulate the desired response in mucosal membranes lining the gut.
“The ultimate goal of where this could lead is augmentation of vaccine efforts where we can, but a potential alternative where necessary,” said Agans. “We could potentially design and have a prophylactic [to prevent illness] that might be able to help reduce the severity of cases.”
Beyond reducing influenza infection in the general population, improved protection against the flu could have a significant impact on the U.S. military, which wants to provide the best possible protection for its warfighters to reduce possible impacts on readiness and training from influenza outbreaks.
“The idea is we can help the body recognize these pathogens,” said Richard Agans, senior research biologist at USAFSAM. “Instead of treating the symptoms, say with [an over-the-counter decongestant], you might be able to treat it with something like this to aid in the development of an immune response.”
The flu can kill as many as 52,000 people and can lead to hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations annually. If the project proves successful, it could one day lead to the development of a capsule that can boost the effectiveness of flu vaccines.