Microbiome Modification for Cancer Cachexia Muscle Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for cancer cachexia, particularly skeletal muscle atrophy associated with cancer, are ineffective and lack pharmacologic therapies that modify the patient's microbiome to address muscle wasting and inflammation.
Innovation Solution
Employing CRISPR-Cas technology to modify the microbiome to produce tomatidine, p53, and statins, which are administered through bacteria such as Streptococcus and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin to combat cancer cachexia by inhibiting muscle atrophy and promoting muscle retention, while also targeting mutant p53 to hinder cancer progression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current treatment strategies (appetite stimulants and protein supplementation) are used, then nutritional support is provided, but they are ineffective in reversing muscle atrophy and cachexia
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of treatment from conventional pharmacologic agents to microbiome modification. By altering the biological environment through probiotic bacteria that produce anti-atrophic compounds, the treatment mechanism is fundamentally changed, enabling effective reversal of muscle atrophy that conventional approaches cannot achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces probiotic bacteria as an intermediary substance that mediates the treatment effect. These bacteria serve as carriers that produce anti-atrophic compounds in the gut, which then act on muscle tissue to prevent degradation and promote synthesis, thereby resolving the contradiction between providing nutritional support and achieving muscle mass retention.
2Productivity
If pharmacologic therapies targeting muscle atrophy are developed, then muscle retention is improved, but no such therapy currently exists
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs self-service by utilizing the patient's own microbiome to produce the therapeutic compounds. The probiotic bacteria colonize the gut and autonomously generate anti-atrophic substances through their metabolic pathways, eliminating the need for external pharmacologic intervention and making the therapy readily available.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the therapeutic function across multiple bacterial species rather than relying on a single pharmacologic agent. Different probiotic strains (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, etc.) contribute different anti-atrophic compounds, creating a synergistic effect that enhances muscle retention while making the therapy more accessible and adaptable.
3Reliability
If the microbiome is modified to produce therapeutic compounds, then treatment effectiveness is enhanced, but the complexity of the approach increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by selecting probiotic bacteria that perform multiple functions: they colonize the gut, produce anti-atrophic compounds, modulate immune responses, and support overall health. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate interventions, thereby enhancing treatment effectiveness while managing complexity through a single, versatile therapeutic approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the probiotic bacteria respond to the gut environment and adjust their compound production accordingly. This self-regulating feedback loop ensures that therapeutic compounds are produced at appropriate levels without requiring external control, thereby enhancing treatment effectiveness while simplifying the overall system through autonomous bacterial regulation.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to the field of Oncology, and in particular embodiments directed to a method of ameliorating, treating, or preventing a malignancy in a human subject wherein the steps of the method assist or boost the immune system in eradicating cancerous cells. In certain embodiments, administration of beneficial bacteria to an individual's microbiome that have been modified so as to produce effective amounts of desired compositions, compounds, agents, e.g. tomatidine, p53 protein, statins, etc., is employed to address cancerous conditions. In several embodiments, the administration of such beneficial bacteria and microbes to an individual's microbiome invokes either an active (or a passive) immune response to destroy, weaken or render less invasive certain cancerous cells, and preferably maintains muscle tissue to combat cancer cachexia.