Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered a breakthrough that could lead to new cancer treatments by altering bacteria genes. The scientists altered the genomes of bacteria and skin-based microbes to fight cancer. They swabbed these altered microbes onto cancer-stricken mice, resulting in tumours dissipating.
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Staphylococcus epidermidis was the bacteria in question, which was collected from the fur of mice and altered to produce a protein that stimulates the immune system with regard to specific tumours. Modified bacteria killed aggressive types of metastatic skin cancer after being applied gently to the fur, without any noticeable inflammation.
“It seemed almost like magic,” said Michael Fischbach, PhD, an associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford. “These mice had very aggressive tumours growing on their flank, and we gave them a gentle treatment where we simply took a swab of bacteria and rubbed it on the fur of their heads.”
The skin plays host to millions of bacteria, fungi and viruses, and the purpose of these entities is often unknown. In this instance, staph epidermidis cells triggered the production of immune cells called CD8 T cells, which scientists hijacked to target specific antigens related to skin cancer tumours. When the cells encountered a matching tumour, they began to rapidly reproduce and shrink the mass, or extinguish it entirely.
“Watching those tumours disappear — especially at a site distant from where we applied the bacteria — was shocking,” Fischbach said. “It took us a while to believe it was happening.”
However, there are some caveats. These experiments were conducted on mice, and it is unclear whether S. epidermidis triggers an immune response in humans. Also, this treatment is designed to treat skin cancer tumours and is applied topically. It remains to be seen if the benefits carry over to internal cancers.
The Stanford team expects human trials to start within the next few years, but more testing is required on mice and other animals before proceeding with human trials. Scientists hope that this treatment could eventually be used for all types of infectious diseases and cancer cells.
