Salmonella shells cancer tumours

Scientists recruit genetically manipulated salmonella bacteria for kamikaze missions against cancer tumours. A new cancer treatment gets help from an unexpected place: salmonella bacteria. Scientists have genetically modified the bacteria to function as suicide bombers that sacrifice themselves to kill cancer cells. Experiments have performed well in mice with liver tumours.

The mice were fed bacteria that wound their way to the parts of the tumours with no blood vessels nor oxygen supply. The salmonella bacteria can easily survive in the oxygen-poor environment, where chemotherapy has no effect. The bacteria are equipped with different weapons, which break down cancer cells’ protective membranes and activate an immune reaction in the body. The bacteria initiate a collective attack, when sufficient bacteria have reached the same area.

In mouse experiments, the bacteria and chemotherapy stopped tumour growth, making them shrink, so the mice lived 50 % longer than untreated peers. The suicide bombers also see to it to keep the bacterium population under control in the body.