Synbiotic Treatment Regimens for Stable Probiotic Colonization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treatments struggle to safely promote a healthy microbiome and effectively treat or prevent diseases associated with dysbiosis, inflammation, infection, allergy, or immune dysfunction, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
Innovation Solution
A synergistic combination of prebiotics, such as human milk oligosaccharides, and probiotic strains like Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, administered in specific treatment phases to facilitate colonization and maintain engraftment, addressing dysbiosis and associated conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If probiotic strains are administered to treat dysbiosis, then microbiome health is improved, but colonization stability and persistence are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by administering prebiotics before and during probiotic treatment to create favorable conditions for colonization. The prebiotics are given in a first treatment phase before the probiotic strain is introduced, and continued during the second phase, to ensure the probiotic has sufficient substrate availability and metabolic support to establish stable colonization and maintain persistence in the gut microbiome.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuity of useful action by maintaining prebiotic administration throughout the entire treatment period. The prebiotics are administered continuously in both the first phase (before and during probiotic introduction) and second phase (after probiotic administration), ensuring uninterrupted substrate supply to support sustained probiotic colonization and prevent relapse of dysbiosis.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional probiotic treatments are used, then microbiome composition is modified, but safety in immunocompromised individuals is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses prebiotics as an intermediary substance that mediates between the probiotic strain and the host microbiome. The prebiotics serve as a safe, non-live intermediary that provides metabolic support to the probiotic without introducing live pathogens or causing immune reactions in immunocompromised individuals, thus reducing safety risks while maintaining microbiome modulation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs prebiotic compounds as disposable, non-replicating molecular substrates that provide temporary metabolic support to the probiotic strain. These prebiotics are consumed and degraded in the gut, providing a safe, non-persistent form of nutritional support that avoids the risks associated with live organism administration in immunocompromised patients.
3Ease of operation
If single-phase probiotic administration is used, then treatment simplicity is maintained, but engraftment and persistence are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the treatment into two distinct phases: a first treatment phase involving prebiotic administration before and during probiotic introduction, and a second treatment phase involving prebiotic administration after probiotic withdrawal. This segmentation allows each phase to serve a specific function - initial colonization support followed by persistence maintenance - thereby improving engraftment stability while keeping the overall protocol simple and structured.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If prebiotics are administered continuously, then probiotic persistence is enhanced, but treatment duration and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the prebiotic administration into two distinct temporal phases with different objectives. The first phase (before and during probiotic administration) focuses on colonization support, while the second phase (after probiotic withdrawal) focuses on persistence maintenance. This segmentation provides structured, phase-specific prebiotic delivery that enhances persistence duration while avoiding the complexity of continuous indefinite administration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The approach effectively treats or prevents conditions like graft versus host disease and other intestinal microbiome-related disorders by enhancing the colonization and persistence of beneficial bacteria, thereby improving gut health and reducing inflammation and infection risk.
Implementation Method 1
a probiotic strain of bacterium capable of internalizing and consuming the prebiotic
Implementation Method 2
capable of internalizing and consuming the prebiotic, e.g., Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are compositions, methods, strategies, kits, and articles of manufacture that are useful, inter alia, in the treatment or prevention of diseases, disorders, or conditions that may be associated with inflammation, infection, allergy, immune dysfunction, or dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiome, such as graft versus host disease (GVHD). In some aspects, the invention provides a synergistic combination of prebiotics that are synthetic or derived from human milk with a probiotic strain of bacterium, such as a strain capable of internalizing and consuming the prebiotic, e.g., Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis.