Probiotic bacteria turn into new age levodopa

A newly developed probiotic bacteria that can synthesise the dopamine precursor L-DOPA is safe, well-tolerated, and eliminates the side effects associated with L-DOPA use for Parkinson’s disease. 🦠 “This next-generation microbial bioengineering technology is designed so that Parkinson’s patients could make their own L-DOPA with microbes in their gut.” - claiming researchers from University of Georgia. Dopamine replacement in the form of levodopa L-DOPA tablets taken few times a day has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease for over six decades. While the treatment does reduce disease symptoms, severe motor side effects—referred to as levodopa-induced dyskinesia—begin to develop. This complication is linked to the fact that delivery of L-DOPA to the brain isn’t continuous. To address this challenge, researchers used newly developed synthetic biology and genetic engineering techniques to generate a safe and tolerable probiotic bacterium that can synthesise L-DOPA from tyrosine produced by the body. Ideally, the treatment would be delivered in an encapsulated pill taken once or twice a day. Tests of the new drug delivery approach in rodent and canine models showed that it can achieve consistent L-DOPA levels in blood plasma and steady brain dopamine levels without any unwanted fluctuation. The researchers also found that the live biotherapeutic improved motor, cognitive and mood-related tasks in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.