Improving chemotherapy outcomes with proprietary molecules targeting the human mi

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Although non-pathogenic microbes that reside in our intestines generally provide us with numerous health and digestive benefits, a specific microfloral activity is also responsible for the severe and sometimes deadly gastrointestinal (GI) side effects of certain chemotherapeutic and pain medications. The most dangerous and well-understood example of this commensal bacteria-induced drug toxicity is the chemotherapeutic agent irinotecan (also called CPT-11), which producesfrequent, intense, and dose-limiting diarrhea. The toxic effects of CPT-11 occur in the lower GI as a result of the sugar-metabolizing activity of a microbial enzyme, the bacterial ?-glucuronidase, which converts an inactive metabolite of CPT-11 into a reactivated cytotoxic form that damages the large intestine. The same mechanism of bacterial-mediated toxicity is responsible for ulcerations of the small intestine associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This projec