Genetically engineered bacteria are sweet success against IBD

For the first time, scientists have used a **genetically engineered** “friendly” bacterium to deliver a **therapy**. The treatment is for **bowel** disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, which affects one in 400 people in the UK and for which there is no cure. The bacterium *Bacteroides ovatus* activates a protein when exposed to a specific type of sugar, xylan. In research to be published in GUT, the therapy has been proven to work in animals with colitis, one of the major forms of inflammatory bowel disease. "Institute of Food Research":[ http://www.ifr.ac.uk/info/news-and-events/NewsReleases/090821Bovatus.html]

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