Treatment of stomach ulcers may soon be as simple as drinking a milkshake or enjoying a yoghurt. Scientists at NUI Galway and St James's Hospital in Dublin are collaborating on a project to create antibodies in cows milk that can disrupt or eliminate one of the key causes of stomach ulcers, the Helicobacter pylori bacterium.
H. pylori is resident in the stomachs of two thirds of people over 65 and is the second most common infection in the world. Its association with ulcers, stomach cancer and cancer of the lymph nodes was suggested almost 20 years ago stated Professor Dermot Kelleher, consultant gastroenterologist at St James's and assistant professor of medicine at Trinity College.
The bacteria's role in these illnesses is now universally accepted and many treatments rely on using antibiotics to kill off the bug. H. pylori lives in the tiny folds of the stomach lining however and so it is difficult to get enough antibiotic to where it lurks.
This is where milk enters the picture. Mr Tony Forde, commercial operations manager of BioResearch Ireland's National Diagnostic Centre at NUI Galway had been studying the antibody content of whey for a milk production company. Whey is a byproduct of cheese manufacture, but retains a protein content and can be used as a food ingredient in its own right.
Antibodies are the substances produced when we fight off an infection. Highly specific antibodies are produced every time we catch a cold, receive a vaccination or encounter an infectious agent. Their role is to lock onto the bacteria or virus, in the process flagging the bug and alerting other parts of the immune system to mount an attack against it.
Mr Forde's group found that whey and of course the milk from which it was processed, contained a wide range of antibodies produced by the cow. They have always been a part of the milk we consume but they have no effect on us.
Further tests showed that these antibodies remained active in the whey and would attach to their target organism. The current work involves innoculating cows with killed and sterilised H. pylori to encourage antibody production against it. A number of animals kept at the Clonakilty Agricultural College have been innoculated and are producing antibodies for this work.
The antibodies will attach to H. pylori and the hope is the antibodies will be able to disrupt the bacteria's ability to cling to the stomach lining. "The antibody will bind to the organism. What we are trying to do is attach to the bacteria and help it flow through the system," Mr Forde explained.
"Once we get the antibodies to a high level we will process the milk into whey and give it as a milkshake or other preparation." Until human trials can begin it remains unclear how it might affect H. pylori colonies, whether it would eliminate or only disrupt the bacteria.
"This country has a good record on H. pylori research," Professor Kelleher stated. He has developed a genetically engineered innoculant which specifically uses parts of the bacteria's outer shell. This means the antibodies produced will particularly target H. pylori's surface.
Dr Anthony Moran of NUI Galway and Professor Colm O'Morain of the Meath Adelaide Hospital in Dublin have completed ground breaking work on the bacteria's biochemistry and have published a book on H. pylori infections. They are attempting to produce a vaccine for the organism.
The milkshake approach to ulcer treatment holds promise although there are complications. Some people infected with H. pylori develop autoimmune disease where the person's own immune system begins to attack stomach tissues and this process could be facilitated by this treatment. More study is needed before we know whether a final answer for ulcers is as close as a tasty milkshake.