2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Development of bacterial flora editing technology for overcoming diseases caused by bacterial flora disorder

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	21K19488
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Review Section	Medium-sized Section 53:Organ-based internal medicine and related fields
Research Institution	Jichi Medical University
Principal Investigator	Cui Longzhu 自治医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (50306932)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	渡邊真弥自治医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (60614956) 氣駕恒太朗国立感染症研究所, 治療薬・ワクチン開発研究センター, 室長 (90738246) 相羽由詞自治医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (60783694) 佐藤祐介自治医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (20757265)
Project Period (FY)	2021-07-09 – 2023-03-31
Keywords	生体細菌叢 / ファージ / CRISPR-Cas13
Outline of Final Research Achievements	The dysbiosis of the human microbiota has been implicated in various pathological conditions. However, the current lack of a method for targeted eradication of specific bacteria, including pathogenic strains, hampers the identification of causative relationships between particular bacteria and diseases. This limitation poses significant challenges to research endeavors and pharmaceutical development. To overcome this hurdle, our study aims to develop a bacterial community editing technology utilizing our novel CRISPR-Cas13 antibacterial capsid technique (patent application 2018-97751). This innovative approach allows for the selective removal of desired bacteria, thereby paving the way for accurate characterization and investigation of their roles in disease pathogenesis. We have successfully established the foundational techniques and are now actively pursuing further advancements towards practical implementation.
Free Research Field	感染症学・微生物学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	本研究は、生体細菌叢の乱れに起因する疾病の起因菌の同定、疾病メカニズムの解明と起因菌に対する効率的な抗菌治療などを可能にする基盤技術の創生である。本研究は、これまでに不可能であると思われた「細菌叢内の特定遺伝子を有する細菌の殺菌」を実現することで、生体内細菌叢研究やエビデンスに基づく創薬の発展に新たな道筋を切り拓く挑戦的な研究である。本技術は、医学細菌のみならず、家畜、植物、土壌、生活空間に生息するいかなる細菌にも応用できるため、細菌叢の再構築を目的とした治療や、畜産、農業、環境保全、食品製造など様々な細菌制御領域に革新的な発展をもたらすことができる。