Leading PI: Sigrun Smola (Saarland University)
During the first phase of LifeMat, the project focused on addressing the high incidence of HPV-related precancerous lesions in the female genital tract, which currently require surgical treatment that can compromise fertility. They advanced 3D organotypic culture systems and infection models to study the inflammatory microenvironment in HPV-driven carcinogenesis, revealing that inflammation is closely tied to epithelial stemness, a key factor in cancer development suggesting that local anti-inflammatory LTMs could be a viable therapeutic strategy.
Safety assays were developed in collaboration with other groups to evaluate immune responses to various bacterial strains embedded in hydrogels. Engineered Lactobacillus plantarum strains producing anti-inflammatory peptides showed promising safety profiles, comparable to the benchmark strain ClearColi™. The current project aims to develop and test Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) based LTMs for preventing chronic inflammation and cancer in the cervix. This involves selecting the most effective engineered LAB strain, designing suitable therapeutic devices for cervical implantation, and studying their interactions with human cervical cells and the microbiome to assess efficacy and potential side effects.