Bacteria have been used since the late 19th century as a therapeutic agent – What the new study shows
Columbia University researchers have created engineered probiotic bacteria that train the immune system to destroy cancer cells, paving the way for a new class of cancer vaccines that take advantage of the bacteria’s natural properties to target the tumor.
Bacteria have been used in the treatment of cancer as early as the late 19th century, and are still used today as a therapeutic agent in patients with early-stage bladder cancer.
In this study, scientists made multiple genetic modifications to a probiotic strain of E.coli bacteria to precisely control how the bacteria interact with and train the immune system to cause tumor eradication.
The new study
The research, published in the journal Nature, used mouse models with advanced colon cancer and melanoma.
The vaccine developed boosted the immune system to suppress the growth or in many cases eradicate primary and metastatic cancer while leaving healthy parts of the body unaffected.
As the researchers point out, these vaccines can be personalized to attack the primary tumor and metastases in each individual, but also to prevent future recurrences.
Source :Skai
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