Fighting the world’s leading cause of gastric cancer
H. pylori is the most common chronic bacterial infection and the leading worldwide cause of gastric cancer.
H. pylori colonises the human stomach of almost half of the world’s population.
Global prevalence of H pylori in adults, 2010 - 2022; source: Chen, Yi-Chu et al., Global Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Incidence of Gastric Cancer Between 1980 and 2022
H. pylori infection is mainly treated with antibiotics, but the bacterium resistance to these drugs is growing.
Scientists are searching for different solutions to antimicrobial resistance, focusing on how infections are monitored, treated and prevented.
For best results, treatments should follow the latest knowledge about antibiotic resistance patterns. As the first step, scientists, international organisations and policymakers are setting up regional and global systems that would collect and share data about infections.
Based on such up-to-date information about antibiotic resistance in their region, doctors can make better-informed decisions about which antibiotics to use and when. This prevents antibiotic overuse and misuse and limits the growth of antimicrobial resistance.
MONITORING-FOCUSED SOLUTIONS
When a person tests positive for H. pylori, doctors can also test the antimicrobial resistance of the specific strain of infection they have. Based on this information, they can adapt the treatment to individual patients by selecting antibiotics that will more likely be effective against the infection.
Some scientists are also involved in the development of alternative treatments. These are either aiming to develop new antibiotics that are effective against resistant H. pylori strains, or are trying to develop alternative, non-antibiotic treatments.
TREATMENT-FOCUSED SOLUTIONS
A promising way to prevent infections with pathogens such as H. pylori is vaccination. This research area aims to curb the growing antimicrobial resistance by reducing the need for antibiotic treatment.
As part of the EU-funded Vax2Muc project, an international group of scientists is working to develop a vaccine against pathogens, including bacteria such as H. pylori.
This bacterium, which enters the body through the digestive tract, has evolved numerous defence mechanisms to evade the body’s own defence mechanisms and adapt to the harsh conditions of the stomach. To prevent diseases caused by H. pylori, an effective vaccine formulation must be delivered directly to the site of infection - the stomach - to activate the body’s own defence system right where H. pylori is located. However, this poses major challenges as the stomach has some special features, such as a low pH. In this project, scientists are advancing the field by exploring new vaccine technologies and strategies to address and overcome these hurdles.
If successful, the potential vaccine would be a huge milestone in fighting antimicrobial resistance worldwide and would have immense positive effects for global health.