Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori causes 65% of gastric ulcers and cancers worldwide. Antibiotic treatmentsx000D
have serious side effects and often fail because of bacterial resistance. Globally 30% of Canadians arex000D
colonized and the aging of the population allows more gastric cancers to develop over decades. About 95% ofx000D
Aboriginals are colonized and suffer from high rates of gastric ulcers and treatment failure. Lactobacilli arex000D
bacteria naturally present in the gut that are known as good bacteria with probiotic activity. Lactobacillix000D
formulations developed by industry partner Lallemand Health Solutions improve anti- H. pylori treatments inx000D
vivo and most of the 20 Lactobacilli tested in vitro in the Creuzenet lab released molecules with anti-H. pylorix000D
effects. However, the mechanisms underlying those effects are not understood.x000D
We propose to examine how these molecules work, testing the hypothesis that they target specific sensorsx000D
present in H. pylori. Understanding their mechanism of action will fill an important knowledge gap and willx000D
also provide validation of active strains by bona fide scientific evidence, which is often lacking in the probioticx000D
field. This will benefit our industrial partner who has a well-established tradition of backing all efficacy claimsx000D
by strong scientific data.x000D
Also, our work will help identify the best Lactobacilli to be used for specific purposes and facilitate thex000D
identification of the beneficial anti-H. pylori molecules, which could be used in purified form to potentiate livex000D
probiotics in mixed formulations or to enhance the efficacy of current antibiotic treatments. These are directx000D
benefits to the H. pylori-infected patients and the industrial partner who can explore a potentially significantx000D
market.x000D
Furthermore, understanding the molecular interactions that occur between H. pylori and Lactobacilli couldx000D
serve as a model system for other complex bacterial interactions. This could yield applications extending tox000D
other fields, such as nutrition, biotechnology or even bioremediation.