Bugs4Urate - Precision Nutrition Strategies for Investigating Probiotic, Diet, Glycan, and Microbiome Factors in Hyperuricemia and Gout Prevention

Gout is a prevalent lifestyle related NCD on the rise in Europe causing low quality of life, yet with inefficient means for treatment.

An effective approach to manage hyperuricemia, the precursor to gout, would significantly enhance health outcomes and have a profound impact.Using a novel probiotic food-ingredient with urate-lowering properties we target the gut microbiome to eradicate urate in a precision nutrition framework where contextualizing factors of the habitual diet, host gut microbiome, and host genetics is used to establish a responder / non-responder instrument.

We will employ a diverse array of methods, encompassing machine learning applied to existing clinical and omics observational data, ex-vivo dietary fiber and probiotic refinement, and two human intervention studies.

In healthy adults (n = 8) we will conduct a mode-of-action study utilizing a crossover design including small intestine biopsy sampling to assess local activity.

In hyperuricemic participants (n = 99) we will conduct a three-armed, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study to access the efficacy of probiotic treatment (with and without fibre), combined with a responder / non-responder instrument.

Using comprehensive longitudinal analyses in metabolomics, microbiome, transcriptomics, and glycomics, we aim to uncover the molecular dynamics between dietary patterns, established bacterial enzymatic processes, urate breakdown, and the resultant shifts in inflammation within the gut and throughout the circulatory system.

By innovating the glycomics technology to accommodate alternative bio-specimens, we hope to enable straightforward home sampling and initiate early diagnostic procedures for broad population oversight.

Through the application of multi-omics, we aim to develop an effective responder / non-responder instrument to probiotic intervention for serum urate reduction, inflammation control, and gout prevention.