Scientists in China are advancing the idea of using Escherichia coli bacteria to fight cancer. A new study has been published in the Cell Reports Medicine, introducing two genetically engineered E. coli strains capable of targeting different types of tumors in mice. The researchers believe that this type of bacterial therapy could become a reality, although further research is necessary.
The concept of cancer-fighting bacteria has been around for many years, but developing such therapy to a safe-enough level to use on humans has been an obstacle. The team from the Shenzhen University School of Medicine and other researchers designed two different E. coli strains in order to solve these issues. The first strain, called mp105, is meant to target a variety of tumors and be circulated through the body via intravenous delivery. The second strain, named m6001, is designed to have a longer lifespan, and is intended to detect the glucose-deprived environment around solid tumors and travel to that specific point.
According to the results of the study, both mp105 and m6001 demonstrated the desired effects on mice without causing major health risks. Additionally, when both strains were used together, the anti-cancer activity was more potent. However, the team stresses that much more research, in addition to thorough testing of long-term safety, is required before they can move forward with human trials. In the future, it is hoped that their two-pronged approach could help to treat a wider variety of cancer types, with mp105 being suitable for many cancers systemically, while m6001 could be used locally on solid tumors.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/scientists-have-created-cancer-fighting-e-coli-bacteri-1850438305
