How (IMAGE)

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard

How

Caption

Inflammatory lesions destroy epithelial cells that function as a barrier between the inside of the gut (lumen) and the rest of the body (left). This loss of barrier function leads to a feedback cycle of worsening inflammation fueled by bacteria and other particles crossing the barrier. PATCH is a bioactive material synthesized by engineered probiotic bacteria that helps to maintain gut barrier function even in the presence of inflammatory insults, thereby helping to keep bacteria and other particulates in the lumen and ameliorating the symptoms of inflammation (right).

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Wyss Institute at Harvard University

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