By Sarina Tejani | Reporter
Dr. Aaron Wright, the James R. Schofield Endowed Chair in Biomedical Sciences at Baylor University, is conducting research in personalized medicine to develop targeted treatments for gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome.
Supported by a $5.6 million National Institutes of Health Director’s Transformative Research Award, Dr. Wright and his team aim to create therapies that address the bacterial compositions of individual patients’ gut microbiomes, seeking to address the underlying causes of IBS.
Over his 15 years of NIH-funded research, Dr. Wright has transitioned from studying drug metabolism in the liver to focusing on carbohydrate and drug metabolism in the gut microbiome. Wright said that his team is working to develop chemical biology approaches for creating personalized treatments for conditions like ulcerative colitis and IBS with his current grant.
“Our newest NIH grant, the Transformative Research Award, provides a unique opportunity to try to develop novel chemical biology approaches that will allow us to create personalized medicines,” Wright said.
Wright’s shift to researching the gut microbiome reflects the digestive system’s potential health impact, as it contains hundreds of organisms that can perform both beneficial and harmful functions.
“The gut microbiome is incredibly complex, with each organism capable of performing different functions,” he said. “When this balance is disrupted, the effects of diseases like irritable bowel disease are greatly heightened.”
Unlike conventional IBS treatments that target inflammation, Wright’s research approach focuses on using specific bacteria to treat the root cause of the disease. He pointed out that traditional treatments address symptoms rather than the underlying factors and do not provide lasting relief.
“IBD treatments are entirely focused on alleviating inflammation within intestinal cells,” he said. “They don’t treat the cause of the disease, which we don’t actually know because it’s likely a mix of environmental and biological factors. They only treat the symptoms. We are creating new approaches to make personalized medicine that will help us selectively isolate beneficial bacteria that actually reverse disease, using bacteria as the therapeutic.”
Austin junior William Meskill said the potential impact of Wright’s research on individuals with IBS could benefit a close relative of his.
“Watching a family member deal with IBS has been tough,” Meskill said. “The constant discomfort, the diet restrictions, it’s really impacted their quality of life. Seeing treatments that target the root causes rather than just masking symptoms would be life-changing for them.”
Meskill said that the focus on personalized medicine offers hope that people will one day be able to manage IBS in a way that restores their daily lives.
