Tumor Killing Bacteria
Two scientist at UCB and UCSF are trying to kill cancer with bacteria. however it is not only toxic to cancerous tissue but healthy as well, but bacteria can target cells. in order to make a cancer-killing bacteria, they must create organisms that perform complicated functions in the bloodstream.
The bacteria will only produce the tumor-killing toxin when in the cancerous cell. In order to make a bacteria that can sense a tumor they took an oxygen sensor from E.coli and linked it to invasin, which causes the organism to invade cancer cells.
They are now trying to make this system more specific. to be sure the bacteria only invades cancer cells, they are creating a genetic mechanism which allows the invasin proteins to be expressed. for more information go to: http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16949&ch=biotech
1 Comments:
Cool! I learned that tumors have a lower oxygen level than other tissues, and that to keep the body from fighting the bacteria, the scientists are making the bacteria produce a coating to get by the immune system.
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