Cancer
is one of the most researched diseases on the planet and any
breakthrough in treating or diagnosing the deadly disease offers the
potential to save human lives. Researchers in the U.S. and Italy
working together have developed a new method of killing cancer cells
using the salmonella bacteria.
Salmonella can cause serious
illness in humans on its own. The researchers say that they are using
a form of the bacteria that does not cause illness in humans. The
bacterial is able to stimulate
an immune response in the human body that leads to the body
attacking cancer cells and destroying them.
The salmonella
bacteria treatment is part of a new class of cancer treatments that
are called immunotherapies also known as therapeutic vaccines. These
types of treatment use the body's own defense to fight
disease.
Researcher Maria Rescigno from the European Institute
of Oncology in Milan said, "We did experiments first in mice and
then in cancer cells and immune cells from human patients, and found
that the salmonella was doing exactly the same job. Now we are ready
to go into (testing on) humans, but we are waiting for
authorization."
The salmonella bacteria used in the
treatment flags the cancer cells for the body allowing the immune
system to target and attack the cells. The process of flagging the
cancerous cells uses a protein called connexin 43. This protein is
responsible for the tiny communication channels between different
types of cells. According to the researchers, these little channels
allow tumor protein peptides to enter immune cells and act as red
flags for the body, thereby triggering an immune response.
The
researchers targeted cells mainly from melanoma, which is the
deadliest form of skin cancer and has few treatments and no cure
today. However, the researchers say that the treatment could also be
used to target any type of cancer.
So
far, the treatment has been used in mice and with living human cells.
The researchers are waiting for FDA approval for human trials now.
The
treatment could also be used for prostate cancer, which researchers
recently discovered
a potential marker for.
