Key Points
Researchers from Columbia University have engineered probiotic bacteria that can teach the immune system to attack cancer cells, potentially paving the way for a new class of personalised cancer vaccines...
These microbial vaccines could be designed to target both primary tumors and metastases (those that spread), with the added benefit of possibly preventing future recurrences of cancer...
In preclinical studies using mice with advanced colorectal cancer and melanoma (skin cancer), the bacterial vaccine was able to boost the immune system enough to suppress tumor growth, and in many cases, completely eliminate the cancer, without harming healthy tissue...
"By programming the bacteria to target these cancer-specific mutations, we can create more effective therapies that prompt a patients immune system to detect and destroy their cancer cells," added Dr Arpaia.. ..
The bacteria would then be engineered to deliver these tumor-specific targets and other immune-boosting factors directly to the tumor site, prompting the immune system to eliminate cancer cells throughout the body...
