LABLUNG - Mechanistic insight into the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of lactic acid bacteria in in vitro models of chronic lung diseases

Program for excellent projects of young researchers (PROMIS), Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, 6066974, 2020-2022
Principal Investigator: Dr Marija Stankovic, IMGGЕ
Participants from IMGGE: Dr Katarina Veljovic, dr Nikola Popovic, Sofija Dunjic, dr Natasa Golic

The main objective of the LABLUNG project is to reveal the molecular mechanisms behind the health-promoting anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as a potential therapeutics for chronic lung diseases using 3D brochospheres organoids as an in vitro model. In particular, the effects of LAB natural isolates from laboratory collection of Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology on the activity of pro-inflammatory and antioxidative transcription factors will be characterized in order to gain an insight into the preferred molecular mechanisms of the attenuation of the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and the levels of oxidative stress. Furthermore, we aim to perform a dual RNA-sequencing, a new, powerful analysis of simultaneous gene expression, both in LAB and the airway epithelial cells and macrophages, in order to gain a comprehensive insight into the mechanisms of LAB-host interaction.