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Choosing the health of the future: how Uzhhorod scientists overcome PTSD with the help of the microbiome



War leaves invisible wounds that sometimes hurt more than physical ones. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become a harsh companion for thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. But where traditional medicine sometimes fails, science comes to the rescue. Today we will tell you about a breakthrough study by scientists from Uzhhorod National University, who proved: the key to treating the psyche may be hidden in our intestines.


When microbes become diagnosticians: the birth of a project


On November 25, UzhNU hosted a presentation of the interim results of the ambitious scientific project “Innovative approaches to microbiome analysis and correction in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders .” This study is a vivid example of how Ukrainian science responds to the most painful challenges of today, combining microbiology, biotechnology, psychology and information technology.


The project is being implemented within the framework of the prestigious Horizon Europe program with a budget of 3.5 million hryvnias. Its implementation period is designed for two years — from September 2024 to August 2026. Opening the meeting, the director of the National Institute of Dentistry and Laboratory Medicine Yevhen Kostenko noted the coordinated work of the team and its leader, Professor Nadiya Boyko.


From idea to real help: three key products


Kateryna Skubenych, Head of the Research Department of UzhNU, emphasized: the university's strategy is not to develop science for the sake of science, but to create results that are useful for society. That is why Professor Boyko's team aims to create three key products that will change the approach to diagnosing and treating PTSD.

The first of these is a rapid PCR-based early diagnosis test system . This tool will detect changes in the oral and intestinal microbiome as specific markers of PTSD. Imagine: a routine saliva or stool test can predict susceptibility to the disorder.

The second product is psychobiotics . These are bioactive agents based on special strains of probiotic bacteria and their metabolites. They are able to adjust the intestinal microbiota in a personalized way, influencing the mental state.

The third direction is functional food products . This involves the creation of specialized therapeutic nutrition to normalize mental health. Scientists have already taken the first steps towards industrial production: in cooperation with the Technological Institute of Milk and Meat of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, the Ediens company has begun manufacturing sachets with pharmabiotics of variable composition.



The language of numbers and microbes: how research works


Scientists don't just theorize - they work with real data. In the first months of the project, more than 200 samples were taken from military personnel for detailed microbiome analysis. This empirical material, combined with psychological questionnaires, allows us to create a unique database.

“The microbiome, in parallel with psychological questionnaires, makes it possible to clearly answer the question of what kind of individual personality we have,” explains Nadiya Boyko. “By comparing healthy people, military personnel with and without PTSD, biochemists have a definitive understanding of how to create a test system that will answer whether a person will have PTSD or not.”

The future that is already coming: personalized medicine


The team does not stop at diagnostics. They create a holistic system for the prevention and correction of PTSD. The developed information system based on the results of microbiome analysis will allow you to select the optimal products or drugs for a specific person.

This is the embodiment of personalized, predictive, patient-centered medicine of the future. Scientists have already created a mathematical model for assessing the risks of PTSD and their own databases of the impact of biologically active compounds on microbial biomarkers. This allows for quick and accurate selection of individual treatment.


The strength of the team and partners


Powerful results would not have been possible without the coordinated work of a team of professionals. It includes: project manager, Doctor of Biological Sciences Nadiya Boyko; responsible executor, Candidate of Biological Sciences Oleksandra Pallag; Candidate of Biological Sciences Lesya Yusko; Candidate of Chemical Sciences Nataliya Korol; Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Volodymyr Drobnych; Candidate of Technical Sciences Oleksandr Mynia; PhD Pavlo Fedorka and Svitlana Burmey, as well as graduate students Ivan Lipey and Mykhailo Klymenko.

Large-scale cooperation with partners, including Unbroken, Leogene, BioLabTech, Edience, the Regional Psychiatric Hospital of Beregovo, Mainstream Clinic, and others, adds practical weight to the project. At the presentation, Galina Makukh (scientific director of the Leogene laboratory) and Artem Bilak (owner of Zelen'OK ecological farms) shared their impressions.


A look into tomorrow: what has been done and what's next


At the current stage, researchers already have clear differences in the microbiome between the groups that will be included in the test system. Contacts have been established with manufacturers ready to launch production in Ukraine. Conditions have been created for the production of drugs and functional food products. In modern conditions, the project is of great importance, because it is an aid to thousands of Ukrainians who struggle with the consequences of trauma every day, and an opportunity to prevent the development of PTSD in those who have not yet experienced the full severity of this disorder.

This is real science against trauma. And it is on our side.


Find out more about this study and other scientific news from Uzhhorod National University on the Media Center website:



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