Method and System for Treating Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

• US 20170106025A1
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seed Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Joseph E. Kovarik
• Inventors: Kovarik, Joseph E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,086,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0003 Apparatus for the treatment of obesity; Anti-eating devices surgical instruments or methods for treatment of obesity, devices specially adapted therefor A61B17/00; hollow or tubular parts of organs A61F2/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/65 Tetracyclines
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 35/74 Bacteria therapeutic use of a bacterial protein A61K38/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/74 Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for prokaryotic hosts other than E. coli, e.g. Lactobacillus, Micromonospora
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/902 using homologous recombination

Abstract

A system and method for reducing the likelihood of GERD includes the modification of an individual'"'"'s gut microbes in a manner that reduces, if not eliminates, the symptoms of GERD. Certain embodiments employ Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR-associated system (CRISPR-Cas) or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats from Prevotella and Francisella 1 (CRISPR/Cpf1) system to render H. Pylori more susceptible to certain drugs, including antibiotics, thus addressing the antibiotic resistance otherwise experienced by treating H. Pylori with antibiotics.

Claims

1. A method for reducing the likelihood of GERD in an individual, comprising:

administering to an individual an amount of H. pylori modified by a CRISPR-Cas or Cpf1 system to render H. pylori more susceptible to antibiotics;

permitting said modified H. pylori to become the dominant population of H. Pylori in the individual'"'"'s stomach; and

administering an effective amount of an antibiotic effective to kill the modified H.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising affecting the ability of H. pylori to form biofilms by modifying its ability to produce lipid A.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the CRISPR-Cas or Cpf1 system is used to interfere with genes involved in the formation of biofilms by H. pylori.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the CRISPR-Cas or Cpf1 system is employed to modify only bacterial genes of bacteria that reside in the human gut that are non-homologous to those encompassed in the human genome.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising using the CRISPR-Cas or Cpf1 system to excise particular characteristics of C. difficile to reduce the release of phage particles.