The Holy Grail for cancer
10 Nov 2010 by Evoluted New Media
The “Holy Grail” for bone cancer treatment could be in the form of bacteria modified to kill cancerous cells.
The “Holy Grail” for bone cancer treatment could be in the form of bacteria modified to kill cancerous cells.
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Nottingham scientists hope for new treatment for osteosarcoma Credit: National Cancer Institute/ Dr. Lance Liotta Laboratory |
Researchers from the division of pre-clinical oncology at the University of Nottingham are investigating whether a modified bacterium – Salmonella typhimurium – can produce molecules that kill cancer cells in osteosarcoma
“Developing a treatment that effectively targets cancer cells, but doesn’t damage healthy cells is the Holy Grail for bone cancer treatment,” said research leader Dr Teresa Coughlan, “We are excited by this project as potentially it could result in a new treatment for osteosarcoma, which typically has poor prognosis.”
The Salmonella bacteria used in this project is harmless – it is a clinically safe form of the bacterium which is found to localise in tumour tissue rather than healthy tissue.
“The bacteria are an attenuated, harmless strain of Salmonella, and it is known that when such bacteria are administered intravenously or orally, they migrate naturally to tumours because they find the nutrients they need there,” Dr Coughlan told Laboratory News, “The bacteria will be modified so that they produce RNA-interference molecules that target IGF1R, a protein known to be involved in the progression of bone cancer.”
The main challenge in developing better treatments for bone cancer is finding a better way of targeting anti-cancer drugs at the tumour. Many drugs are given by intravenous injection but these find it hard to reach tumours in bone as they tend to have a low blood supply.
Osteosarcoma is the most common type of primary bone cancer and affects children and adolescents. Around 2,000 cases are diagnosed each year and cases tend to have a poor outcome because the cancer doesn’t respond well to current treatments.
The project is funded by the Bone Cancer Research Trust and hope to produce a treatment for bone cancer that is better targeted at tumours and doesn’t affect healthy tissue.
