Scientists at Columbia University in New York have come up with an innovative way to develop an innovative way forward in the medical fight against cancer by relying on “programmed bacteria” to eliminate the deadly disease.
This
technology is part of the list of cancer treatments that are classified as
“immunological,” meaning that it uses the patient’s own immune system to fight
the disease.
According to the Science Focus website, this type of bacteria secretes compounds that act as tumor suppressors and target the immune system of cancer patients.
The role of
the immune system is to distinguish between healthy cells and abnormal or
foreign cells, such as cancer cells.
The immune
system response is modified by points that activate the immune system into
attack mode or suppress it into inactive mode.
Some cell
types can protect themselves against cancer by mimicking the function of these
checkpoints. So researchers have developed drugs that target checkpoints and
prevent the immune system's dormant period.
A research
team from Columbia University led by Professor Tal Danino has studied the
"programming of bacteria" to reach malignant tumors directly and
deliver the appropriate drugs.
Professor
Danino says of the trial: “We wanted to be able to program probiotic bacteria
to deliver therapeutic agents to the point where they stimulate the immune
system without causing side effects in cancer patients.
In
experiments on mice with lymphoma and colon cancer, two immune control points
were targeted, and programmed bacteria were able to find the malignant tumor,
attach to it, and inject the drug.
Probiotics
are microorganisms that promote health wherever they are found, often in the
form of bacteria.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment