Adam Arkin Leads ARPA-H-Funded Project to Combat Lung Infections Through Microbiome Engineering

Adam Arkin, Professor of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley, leads the Pro/Prebiotic Regulation for Optimized Treatment and Eradication of Clinical Threats (PROTECT) project, which recently received funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). In collaboration with UC San Diego, Arkin’s team is pioneering microbiome engineering to design probiotic communities that prevent lung infections by pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in immunocompromised individuals. This innovative approach leverages "healthy" microbes to consume metabolites essential for pathogens, potentially expanding its application to other body sites.