Institute for Advancing Medical Innovations Trailblazer Awardee: Susana Chavez-Bueno, M.D., Children’s Mercy Kansas City
By Frontiers , Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Oct 07, 2024
Project Title: Optimization of a Vaginal Lactoferrin Formulation for Use in Pregnancy
Sometimes, news headlines tell us about outbreaks of bacterial infections from Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli). But not everyone knows that E. coli lives in our gastrointestinal systems as part of our natural gut microbiomes, and only specific strains of E. coli cause illness. Unfortunately, around 1 in 1,000 newborns in the United States are exposed to E. coli in utero or during birth, which can lead to serious illness and sepsis, and can be life-threatening.
Currently, there are no preventative measures against invasive E. coli infections in newborns, and treatment options include exposing a newborn’s delicate immune system to antibiotics shortly after birth which comes with concerns over side effects and antibiotic resistance. Susana Chavez-Bueno, M.D. recognizes the need to identify methods to prevent mother-to-child transmission of E. coli shortly before or during childbirth, to reduce E. coli infection in newborns.
“This project will address this unmet need and hopefully will help save the lives of newborns who get severely infected,” Chavez-Bueno said.
In her previous work, Chavez-Bueno has shown that treating pregnant mice with lactoferrin significantly reduces the transmission of E. coli to mice pups. Lactoferrin is a protein found in breastmilk that has antimicrobial properties that inhibit bacterial growth, modulate the immune system, and support the microbiome. With her Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation Trailblazer Award, and in collaboration with the Center for Innovation at KU-Lawrence, Chavez-Bueno is designing and optimizing a lactoferrin-based formulation that can be applied vaginally to expectant mothers, before the infant is born.
“We want to make sure that lactoferrin is stable and determine how long and under what conditions lactoferrin is stable in this formulation,” she said. “We will also test how much of the antimicrobial effect is actually preserved in this formulation as well.”
Her goal is that the lactoferrin formulation will work to prevent peri-natal E. coli infection and that this project can lead to larger clinical trials for safety and efficacy before becoming a standard of care in obstetric clinics.
Frontiers
Clinical and Translational Science Institute
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