NEW YORK New York: Columbia researchers have developed probiotic bacteria that train the immune system to eliminate cancer cells, paving the way for a new class of cancer vaccines that take advantage of the bacteria's innate tumor-targeting abilities. Take advantage. These microbial cancer vaccines can be tailored to each person's specific original tumor and metastases, perhaps preventing future recurrence. In mice models of advanced colorectal cancer and melanoma, the bacterial vaccine stimulated the immune system, causing primary and metastatic malignancies to shrink – or in many cases disappear altogether.
All this while leaving healthy body parts alone. The findings were published in Nature. The bacterial vaccine proved to be notably more efficacious than the peptide-based therapeutic cancer vaccines that have been used in many previous cancer clinical trials.
“The key advantage of our system is that it allows all parts of the immune system to be coordinated and has the unique ability to activate, to generate a productive antitumor immune response. We believe this is why this system works so well in advanced solid tumor models, which are particularly difficult to treat with other immunotherapies. It's been tougher than.” Jongwon Im, a PhD student at Columbia University who helped lead the bacterial engineering aspects of the study, says, “The net effect is that the bacterial vaccine can control or eliminate the growth of advanced primary or metastatic tumors and improve survival in mouse models. “Able to increase length of stay.”
The bacterial vaccine is individualized for each tumor. “Every cancer is unique – tumor cells have different genetic mutations that distinguish them from normal healthy cells. By programming bacteria that direct the immune system to target these cancer-specific mutations, we can create more effective treatments that stimulate a patient's own immune system to detect and kill their cancer cells,” said Nicholas Arpaia, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. says, who directed the research with Tal Danino, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering in Columbia's School of Engineering.
“As we continue to integrate additional safety optimizations through further genetic programming, we are getting closer to the point of testing this therapy in patients,” he said. Bacteria have been used in the treatment of cancer since the late 19th century, when Dr. William Coley, a surgeon at New York Hospital, observed tumor regression in a subgroup of patients with inoperable tumors who were injected with bacteria. The bacteria are still used today as a therapeutic in patients with early-stage bladder cancer.
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