Researchers Genetically Engineered Bacteria to Kill Cancer Cells In Mice
Scientists at Stanford University were able to fight skin cancer in mice via the alteration of bacteria and microbes found on their skin.
In potentially revolutionary cancer research and treatment news(Opens in a new window), Stanford Medicine researchers genetically engineered bacteria found on mice fur called Staphylococcus epidermidis in order to produce an immune response that was strong enough to kill an aggressive type of metastatic skin cancer. This was all done without causing any noticeable inflammation.
Michael Fischbach, PhD, Associate Professor of bioengineering and who co-authored the research said: “It seemed almost like magic. These mice had very aggressive tumors growing on their flank, and we gave them a gentle treatment where we simply took a swab of bacteria and rubbed it on the fur of their heads.”
Staph epidermidis were chosen in the trial because they are unique among colonizing bacteria in triggering the production of potent immune cells called CD8 T cells, which are known to fight cancer or severe infections.
In the trial, the altered bacteria was able to result in an immune response that killed or shrunk cancerous cells even far away from where it had been topically applied.
Fischbach added: “Watching those tumors disappear—especially at a site distant from where we applied the bacteria—was shocking. It took us a while to believe it was happening.”
It’s worth noting that the Stanford scientists don’t yet know if Staph epidermidis can lead to a similar strong immune response in humans, and trials on mice don’t always end the same way as human trials. The researchers also swapped the skin cancer antigen for a prostrate cancer antigen in their tests and found that tumor growth was dramatically
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