Khaberni - Researchers at Stanford University have developed an innovative technique that could change the future of painful kidney stone treatments, through genetic modification of gut bacteria to breakdown the substance "oxalate," a major cause of these stones.
The researchers conducted a clinical trial involving 51 volunteers, including 12 suffering from "enteric hyperoxaluria," which is a common cause of recurrent kidney stones.
The participants were divided into two groups: the first group took capsules containing genetically modified bacteria, while the second group received a placebo. The treatment lasted for one month, and all participants consumed "porphyrin" powder dissolved in water along with an antacid medication, to create a suitable environment for the bacteria's activity.
After the trial concluded, the results showed a significant reduction in "oxalate" levels in the group that used the genetically modified bacteria compared to the other group.
The researchers modified a strain of gut bacteria "Phocaeicola vulgatus" to enable it to break down "oxalate," a substance found in high amounts in foods like spinach, nuts, dark chocolate, and tea.
They also made the bacteria reliant on "porphyrin" as a food source—a carbohydrate that most gut bacteria cannot digest—which gives it the ability to survive as long as possible inside the intestines.
Dr. Weston Whitaker, the study leader, said that making the bacteria depend on "porphyrin" gives the researchers a "kill switch," which allows them to simply stop the action of the bacteria by ceasing to consume the powder daily.
He added that this method could be used to treat or prevent other intestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and certain types of cancer, and that the team is currently conducting trials on patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
