LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – What if the natural environment offered by the Appalachian Mountains — plants native to the region and waterways flowing through West Virginia towns — proved to be a source of medicinal value?
That is what faculty and student researchers at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) are studying through a $300,000-plus grant funded by a West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence NIH grant.
Matthew Williams, Ph.D., an associate professor in WVSOM’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, began preliminary research on the concept in 2018, but received grant support from the state in 2024.
Williams, who has worked at WVSOM for three years, said he has always had a fascination with natural remedies that have helped keep humanity alive throughout history.
“Every culture on earth has its own unique mix of plants and procedures that have been attributed to healing properties. In our probiotic development research, we started collecting sources on campus and realized some of the best candidate probiotic strains were coming off plants that were listed as being traditional Appalachian remedies, and the spark hit that we should expand this search further,” he said. “Being surrounded by historical medicinal and healing springs, we decided we would search water sources as well for beneficial microbes.”
The goal is that by blending modern microbiology with historical wisdom, the research will seek to transform “old remedies” into new solutions for some of today’s most worrisome infectious diseases. Williams said acute and chronic infectious diseases remain among the greatest global health challenges. The research aims to identify live biotherapeutic products capable of antagonizing pathogens responsible for major human infections, offering fresh strategies in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and treatment failure.
Three WVSOM students and two undergraduate students from Greenbrier County immersed themselves in the biomedical research: WVSOM students Mina Parsa, Candace Price and Tehya Smith, along with Kaelyn Gore, a student at Fairmont State University and Elias White, a student at Howard University, received direct research funding; however, the project currently supports a total of 21 WVSOM students.
Williams said that during the summer, students explored southern West Virginia with the task of seeking plant specimens that had ties to traditional Appalachian herbalism or folk medicine.
Price knew she wanted to be involved in the research almost immediately.
“When the opportunity arose for me to be part of something that not only demonstrated what natural resources have to offer but presented it in a different light regarding the medicinal side of things, I knew I needed to be involved,” the Class of 2028 student from Hinton, W.Va., said. “To me, it was as if the best of both worlds — nature and medicine — were colliding. Since the medical world is always evolving, the opportunity to not only gain insight but potentially contribute to a therapeutic approach outside established pharmacology was one that I couldn’t resist.”
Class of 2028 student Parsa, originally from Fairfax, Va., said she was interested in the research project because it addressed two areas she is passionate about: preventive medicine and neurodegenerative disease research.
“Alzheimer’s disease is a growing public health concern, and the idea of leveraging Appalachian biodiversity to discover natural probiotics that inhibit Streptococcus mutans, a pathogen linked to cerebral microbleeds and Alzheimer’s, felt both innovative and impactful. It aligns perfectly with osteopathic principles of holistic care and prevention,” she said.
Once the plants were identified and collected, they were processed in a lab to isolate beneficial bacteria from plant tissue, with students working to identify bacteria that have anti-infective properties against disease-causing bacteria.
“After interesting ones were discovered, molecular sequencing techniques were performed and analysis showed that some of our candidate probiotics are new strains, or perhaps even new species entirely,” Williams said.
Students identified more than 100 candidates as potential therapeutics.
“Understanding the antimicrobial mechanisms and assessing whether these strains can survive and function in clinical settings is essential for translating our findings into real-world applications,” Parsa said. “Being part of research that could lead to probiotic-based interventions for oral and neurological health is incredibly motivating. It feels like we’re working on something that could genuinely improve lives.”
Williams said those involved were excited that several of the types of bacteria collected and isolated from medicinal plants and spring water have strong effects at inhibiting pathogens that can cause serious human infections.
“We looked for solutions for five human pathogens. These pathogens cause a range of disease including skin and oral infections, gastrointestinal distress, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and numerous other opportunistic infections,” he said. “Some of our most interesting results were with the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, which has potentially deadly strains such as MRSA, and we also found some important results against the pathogen Streptococcus mutans. We hope our probiotics strains can help with prevention of some of these serious infections.”
The research will continue throughout the academic year, as student stipends financially support ongoing studies. The second cohort of students will be selected in fall 2025 to continue the research.
The findings allow students to contribute to scientific publications and present at conferences. These experiences can be added to residency applications, which make medical students more appealing applicants for competitive residencies. So far, students have co-authored 19 publications and attended three conferences regarding the biotherapeutic research.
At this stage, students are focusing on determining mechanisms of how some of the beneficial bacteria are having effects against the pathogens. They are also doing investigations to see how viable the newly discovered strains may be in making it to clinical use or to market.
“While modern pharmaceuticals, such as antibiotics, have a wonderful place in medicine and are vital to patient care, the unfortunate truth is that antibiotic resistance is increasing. Infections we used to be able to treat effectively are developing resistance to pharmaceuticals, and in the future we may need alternatives,” Williams said. “Probiotics themselves can help reduce potential for developing infections. Some of these probiotic bacteria produce molecules that may be able to be extracted and used in a more direct pharmaceutical approach. Ultimately, the goal is to have another tool available to prevent or treat infections going forward as we never know what emerging infections may come next.”
Price said she thinks interest in environmental medicinal opportunities has increased.
“The medicinal world has evolved and expanded, but new problems often call for new solutions. In this case, the solution is not new, but it’s centered around going back to our roots,” she said. “The reason that biotherapeutics are now being investigated more heavily is due to a push for more natural products as well as the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Nature gives us alternatives as to how we can avoid deviations from health.”
Parsa appreciates that WVSOM gave her a chance to be part of something that is deeply meaningful to her and hopefully to future patients.
“Nature has always been a source of therapeutic compounds, and discovering beneficial bacteria in Appalachian plants reinforces the idea that solutions to complex health problems can often be found locally,” she said. “It’s sustainable, innovative and connects science with community-based care.”
