Question: Are you re-searching on how to stop these microbes from sticking to the stomach and how would you stop them from sticking

Samuel Ellis answered on 17 Mar 2015:

My research is interested in how the microbes stick to the lining of the gut, so the small and large intestines (few bacteria actually live in the stomach because it is so acidic and nasty for them, instead they just try to survive passing through it and then colonise the gut where there is lots of food and nicer conditions). And yes, my finding could impact how we might try and stop them in the future.

There are already lots of ideas on preventing bacteria attaching. One big topic of interest at the moment is probiotic bacteria, which are not harmful to us. Probiotic bacteria can be very helpful as they can block bad bacteria from sticking and therefore protect our gut. Other research has looked at ways of boosting aspects of our immune system, such as the layer of mucus in our gut which tries to trap bacteria and prevent them reaching our cells, and certain antibodies which can coat bacteria and stop them sticking to anything!