Bacteria Fight Cancer: Clinical Trials Next
- - A team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Ernest Pharmaceuticals has announced advances in a novel bacterial therapy, BacID, designed to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly into...
- Neil Forbes, chemical engineering professor at UMass Amherst and senior author of the research published in Molecular Therapy, saeid the team now possesses "all the critical pieces...
- Vishnu Raman, lead author and chief scientific officer of Ernest Pharmaceuticals, emphasized the potential to treat late-stage cancers with fewer side effects than customary chemotherapy.
scientists are pioneering a revolutionary approach to fight cancer: bacterial therapy. This innovative method utilizes genetically engineered bacteria, BacID, to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to tumors, promising enhanced effectiveness and reduced side effects compared to conventional chemotherapy. Clinical trials are slated to commence in 2027, marking a meaningful step forward in targeted cancer treatment. The research, a collaboration between UMass Amherst and Ernest Pharmaceuticals, has engineered a strain of Salmonella, triggered by aspirin, to release the therapy only within the cancer cells, minimizing harm to healthy tissues. This breakthrough offers hope for patients battling severe cancers, like liver, ovarian, and metastatic breast cancer. news Directory 3 is following this story closely. Discover the potential of this novel approach and its implications for the future of oncology.
Bacterial Therapy Shows Promise in Targeted Cancer Treatment
AMHERST, Mass. – A team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Ernest Pharmaceuticals has announced advances in a novel bacterial therapy, BacID, designed to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly into tumors. This targeted cancer treatment approach aims to improve safety and effectiveness, particularly for cancers with high mortality rates, such as liver, ovarian, and metastatic breast cancer.
Clinical trials are projected to begin in 2027. Neil Forbes, chemical engineering professor at UMass Amherst and senior author of the research published in Molecular Therapy, saeid the team now possesses “all the critical pieces for getting an effective bacterial treatment for cancer.”
Vishnu Raman, lead author and chief scientific officer of Ernest Pharmaceuticals, emphasized the potential to treat late-stage cancers with fewer side effects than customary chemotherapy. Raman, who earned his Ph.D. at UMass Amherst, explained that bacteria naturally target tumors, allowing for a more focused delivery of the cancer therapy.
The research, spanning over a decade, involves genetically engineered strains of Salmonella that target tumors and release drugs inside cancer cells. This method aims to deliver considerably more therapy than standard doses, while also protecting healthy tissue.
Raman said the genetic engineering makes the strain “at least 100 times safer than anything that’s been tried in the past.”
The third-generation strain allows control over when the bacteria invade cancer cells and release the therapy after intravenous injection. This enhances tumor targeting and safety.
“We were focusing on how to make this strain really safe and user friendly,” Raman said.
The scientists discovered that bacterial flagella, which aid in movement, enable the bacteria to invade cancer cells. They engineered a genetic circuit activated by aspirin to control flagella production. Without aspirin, the bacteria remain dormant.
“One core part of this technology is the controlled activation of flagella,” raman explained. “And the other core part is once the bacteria go inside cancer cells, we engineered them with a suicide circuit. So they rupture on thier own and deliver the therapy inside the cancer cell.”
In mouse models,intravenously injected bacteria are cleared from healthy tissue within two days,while continuing to grow in tumors. On the third day,aspirin is administered to trigger the bacteria to invade cancer cells and deliver the therapy.
The team is now seeking regulatory approval to initiate clinical trials for this novel cancer therapy.
What’s next
The researchers are focused on securing regulatory approval to begin human clinical trials, bringing this targeted cancer treatment closer to reality.