Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
Molecular structure and liquids used in research labs
  1. NAU
  2. Research
  3. Innovations
  4. Available technologies
  5. Biomedical innovations
  6. Targeted Therapeutic for Human C. Difficile Infection

Targeted Therapeutic for Human C. Difficile Infection

Description

Marked by an increase in disease severity and recurrence since the early 2000s, Clostridioides difficile (Clostridium) infection (CDI) has rapidly become an emerging public health threat. Recent research in canines has explored the mechanisms and interactions responsible for resistance to C. difficile colonization in the healthy human gut and characterized the underlying bacterial communities responsible for this phenotype. These findings support asymptomatic carriage in canines and suggest features of the gut microbiome and/or a canine-specific immune response that protects against CDI. Two biologically relevant bacteria in the canine samples were identified that may aid in C. difficile resistance, which may be associated with regulating homeostasis in the canine gut.

Additional information

Patent number and inventor

16/562,378

Nathan Stone, David Wagner, Joseph Busch, Emily Cope, Paul Keim, Fernando Monroy, and Jason Sahl.

Potential applications

Clinical applications to provide C. difficile resistance.

Benefits and advantages

This research suggests that canines may be hidden reservoirs for C. difficile and that the mechanisms of CDI resistance in the canine gut could provide insights into targeted therapeutics for human CDI.

Case number and licensing status

2019-002

This invention is available for licensing.