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In published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researcher Wendy Garrett, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Ó³»­´«Ã½, and colleagues identified a strain of bacteria with the potential to abate gut inflammation. They found that Lactococcus lactis, used in the manufacture of dairy products, naturally releases an antioxidant known as superoxide dismutase A (SodA) — but only if ruptured by a specific, bacteria-attacking enzyme. This chain of events helps to correct an imbalance of chemically reactive molecules within the body associated with gut inflammation. These findings suggest a possible treatment avenue for inflammatory bowel disease and other colon-related ailments.

A central regulator of inflammation, nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB), has been implicated as a driver of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS). A team led by David Hafler, of the Ó³»­´«Ã½ and Yale School of Medicine, demonstrated that MS-associated variants alter NFkB signaling pathways, leading to increased activation of NFkB and making cells more responsive to inflammatory stimuli. The work, featured in , suggests that rapid genetic screening for variants associated with NFκB signaling may identify individuals amenable to therapeutics targeting this pathway.