Nagoya University develops targeted gum disease therapy

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed an experimental treatment for periodontitis that selectively eliminates the keystone pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis while preserving beneficial oral bacteria. The therapy, named near-infrared photo-antibacterial targeting therapy (NIR-PAT²), adapts near-infrared photoimmunotherapy originally developed for cancer. It uses IgY antibodies from egg yolks of hens immunized against P. gingivalis, attached to a light-sensitive dye. When activated by near-infrared light, the dye damages the outer membrane of the targeted bacteria, killing them without harming healthy gum cells or other microbes. In cell cultures and mouse models, NIR-PAT² reduced alveolar bone loss and preserved beneficial Streptococcus populations, unlike antibiotics and conventional antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), which disrupt the entire oral microbiome and can release inflammatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The findings were published in the Journal of Translational Medicine. The researchers plan to use artificial intelligence to analyze oral microbiome data to identify additional bacterial targets and develop more precise treatments. The therapy is still at an early proof-of-concept stage and requires further studies on safety, dosing, and effectiveness in humans before clinical use.