How a Special Bacteria Might Help with Fibromyalgia

How a Special Bacteria Might Help with Fibromyalgia

At IMBXX, we’re doing something exciting! We’re looking at how a safe kind of bacteria might help people who have a tough illness called fibromyalgia. This illness causes pain all over the body, and doctors still don’t fully understand why.

Let’s break it down so it’s easy to understand.

What Is the Immune System?

Your immune system is your body’s defense team. It fights off things like germs, viruses, and bacteria. One part of your immune system is called adaptive immunity. This part learns and remembers how to fight bad things that enter your body, kind of like how your brain remembers answers for a test!

What Is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a long-lasting condition that makes people feel tired and sore. It can also mess with sleep and memory. Scientists now believe the immune system might play a big role in this illness.

Some people with fibromyalgia seem to have:

  • Tired or confused immune cells, like T-helper cells and regulatory T cells (these help keep the immune system balanced).

  • High levels of autoantibodies are like mistaken attacks by your body on itself.

  • Memory T cells that keep sending pain signals, even when nothing is wrong.

A New Way to Help: Friendly Bacteria

We’re working with a safe kind of bacteria called M. smegmatis. It’s not harmful, and we can use it to “train” the immune system to behave better. It’s like teaching the immune system how to play fair, not too strong, not too weak.

When this bacteria is used in studies, it helps the body make memory T cells the right way. That could help reduce pain and inflammation over time.

What Kind of Help Are We Looking Into?

We're exploring smart ways to help the immune system do a better job:

  • Training it with friendly bacteria

  • Helping “peacekeeper” cells (Tregs) do their job

  • Calming down cells that go too far (like Th17 cells)

  • Trying medicine that works for other immune diseases, like lupus or arthritis

  • Using special blockers to stop the chemicals that cause too much inflammation (called cytokines)

Can We “Fix” Fibromyalgia?

Not exactly. You can’t just “boost” the immune system and expect fibromyalgia to go away. But we believe you can help the immune system act more balanced. This might:

  • Reduce inflammation

  • Lower pain

  • Help the body respond better

And this is what IMBXX is all about finding smarter, science-backed ways to help your body feel better.