The SynThera research profile
Background
Antibiotics revolutionized 20th century healthcare and remain essential to modern life, yet we are rapidly losing these gains to a growing antibiotic crisis. Millions die each year from infections caused by multidrug-resistant microbial pathogens. This silent pandemic spreads quickly in our globalized world, while the pipeline for new antibiotics continues to dry up. Alternative strategies are urgently needed, but high development costs and low profitability deter efforts despite the massive societal need.
Aim
The SynThera project aims to develop novel therapeutic microorganisms customized for the targeted delivery of antimicrobial agents against critical bacterial and fungal pathogens, as well as personalized preemptive therapies.
The SynThera Concept
Our approach is based on a multi-layered microbial delivery system comprising four interchangeable modules to offer flexible treatment strategies. The Deploy module delivers site-specific probiotic chassis directly to the infection site, while the Decode module uses natural and synthetic receptors for precise pathogen recognition. The Defeat module delivers highly effective, context-specific synthetic antimicrobial peptides, while the Detain module safely eliminates the therapeutic microorganisms after treatment to meet biosafety requirements.
SynThera chassis and target pathogens
Using the Synthera approach, we aim to address two important sites of infection in the host: the intestine and the lung. For intestinal infections, we focus on enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) and Clostridium difficile with genetically modifiable non-pathogenic chassis strains E. coli Nissle and Clostridium leptum. For lung infections, the strategy addresses Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, using Ligilactobacillus murinus as a chassis.