Breakthrough in Salmonella Bowel Cancer Treatment
Salmonella bacteria could be engineered to help combat bowel cancer following a significant breakthrough by researchers. While experts have long understood the potential of salmonella in fighting cancer, its effectiveness in therapies has fallen short of expectations. Now, a new study has identified how salmonella prevents the body’s immune cells from attacking the disease, opening up possibilities for enhanced treatment outcomes.
The research revealed that salmonella depletes a crucial protein necessary for the body’s immune cells to function optimally. By understanding this mechanism, scientists hope to overcome current limitations and fully exploit the potential of salmonella in cancer treatment. There is growing interest in combining bacterial therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are drugs that inhibit proteins regulating the immune system, allowing white blood cells known as T cells to target and destroy cancer cells.
Despite the promise of bacterial therapies, the response of T cells to salmonella in cancer treatment has remained largely unknown until now. Through experiments on mice, researchers found that salmonella hinders T cells from attacking cancer cells by depleting an amino acid called asparagine. The discovery paves the way for engineering salmonella strains that do not affect this protein, enabling T cells to effectively combat tumour cells.
Dr. Alastair Copland, lead author and immunology research fellow at the University of Birmingham, expressed excitement about the potential of bacterial therapies in starving tumours of essential nutrients. By identifying the protein responsible for limiting T cell activity during treatment, researchers can now target this mechanism to enhance the efficacy of salmonella-based therapies. The transformation of a disease-causing bacteria like salmonella into a tool to fight cancer marks a significant advancement in treatment strategies.
Salmonella, commonly associated with food poisoning, can be found in the guts of various animals and transmitted through contaminated food. Symptoms of a salmonella infection include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever. The recent study sheds light on how attenuated salmonella bacteria can be engineered to target specific amino acids without compromising T cell function, offering new possibilities for more effective cancer treatments.
Lead researcher Dr. Kendle Maslowski from the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute underscored the significance of understanding how salmonella interacts with the immune system to improve cancer therapy outcomes. By identifying the specific amino acid targeted by salmonella, researchers aim to develop strategies to enhance T cell activation against tumour cells, potentially revolutionising cancer treatment approaches. The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
Dr. Catherine Elliott, director of research at Cancer Research UK, emphasised the untapped potential of bacterial therapies in treating various cancers, including colorectal cancer. The groundbreaking findings offer hope for more effective treatments in the future, providing a ray of hope for patients battling cancer. As ongoing research explores the intersection of bacterial therapies and immunotherapies, the role of bacteria in combating diseases continues to garner attention in the medical community.
In the UK, bowel cancer remains a prevalent health concern, with over 44,000 new cases diagnosed annually. The novel insights gained from this study could lead to innovative approaches in cancer treatment, offering new avenues for improving patient outcomes. As the scientific community further investigates the therapeutic potential of bacterial agents like salmonella, the future of cancer treatment holds promise for more targeted and effective interventions.