Ateneo Scientists Advance Toward A Vaccine For Stomach Ulcers

Since ancient times, it was thought that achy tummy ulcers were caused by eating spicy foods aliases having an unhealthy diet. But since then, researchers person recovered that Helicobacter pylori—a communal bacterium recovered successful complete 60% of nan world's population—was nan existent culprit down astir tummy ulcers and a precocious consequence for tummy cancer.

Now scientists from nan Ateneo de Manila University School of Science and Engineering's Department of Biology are connected nan measurement to uncovering a vaccine to conflict disconnected nan bacterium, perchance preventing tummy ulcers and lowering nan consequence for tummy cancer.

Ateneo biologists Demy Valerie Chacon, Kiana Alika Co, Daphne Noreen Enriquez, Aubrey Love Labarda, Reanne Eden Manongsong, and Edward Kevin Bragais utilized a cutting-edge attack called "immunoinformatics" that combines machine subject pinch immunology to scan nan familial constitution of pathogens and foretell which parts of them tin trigger a beardown immune response. By moving thousands of cistron sequences done these computational tools, researchers tin constrictive down nan astir promising vaccine targets overmuch faster and astatine little costs than done trial-and-error laboratory activity alone.

The Ateneo biologists person identified cardinal proteins produced by H. pylori that thief it past tummy acid, instrumentality to nan tummy lining, and evade nan body's earthy immune system. Their study besides identified parts of these proteins that are astir apt to beryllium safe, non-allergenic, and tin of activating protective immune cells.

While their investigation findings are still preliminary and based connected machine simulations, nan adjacent steps see laboratory testing to validate these predictions. To date, location are nary approved vaccines against H. pylori contempt ongoing tentative investigation successful different laboratories astir nan world. However, if successful, nan Ateneo investigation could pave nan measurement for nan first-ever H. pylori vaccine that could thief defender against tummy ulcers and cancer.