- Anthrax is caused by rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis
- This produces toxins made from 3 proteins, which on own are non-toxic
- Proteins can be engineered to suppress cancerous tumor growth
- Now scientists have discovered how the proteins stops cancer in tracks
- Targets cells that line blood vessels that feed the tumor, they found
- As a result, new therapy combined with chemo, could tackle disease
Lizzie Parry For Dailymail.com
1
View
comments
It is a serious, infectious disease that though rare can prove life-threatening.
Anthrax is caused by rod-shaped bacteria, known as Bacillus anthracis.
People can become infected when spores get into their body, where they can be ‘activated’.
When they become active, the bacteria is able to multiply, spread outside of the body and produce toxins which cause serious illness.
But, now a new study suggests anthrax may have a therapeutic benefit to those people battling cancer.
Engineered anthrax toxin proteins combined with existing chemotherapy could potentially yield a therapy to reduce or eliminate cancerous tumors, scientists suggest.
Engineered anthrax toxin proteins combined with existing chemotherapy could potentially yield a therapy to reduce or eliminate cancerous tumors, scientists suggest. Pictured, the bacteria, Bacillus anthracis, that is the cause of anthrax
The bacterium Bacillus anthracis, which causes the deadly anthrax disease, produces a toxin made of three proteins that individually are non-toxic, experts at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases explained.
And, because the proteins can be engineered to suppress tumor growth they have emerged as a potential cancer therapy.
Until now, however, scientists have been unsure how the anthrax toxin proteins control tumor growth.
From chest exercises to wearing a bra in bed… expert busts…
Where does bacteria REALLY lurk on the subway? Hanging…
Zika vaccine is to be tested on HUMANS for the first time…
Man who went to the doctors complaining about his ‘beer…
In this study, scientists from the National Institutes of Health, used mice models to show that anthrax toxin proteins work by specifically targeting the cells that line the inner walls of the blood vessels, which feed the tumor.
The proteins, which reach these cells through a surface receptor called CMG2, prevent the cells from reproducing.
Because the toxin does not target the tumor cells themselves but rather the host-derived blood vessel cells, the strategy could be effective against a wide range of tumor types, the NIH team noted.
Unfortunately, the immune system produces antibodies in response to anthrax toxin proteins, making additional courses of treatment ineffective.
In this study, scientists from the National Institutes of Health, used mice models to show that anthrax toxin proteins work by specifically targeting the cells that line the inner walls of the blood vessels, which feed the tumor. As a result they believe the therapy could work against many forms of cancerous tumor
To circumvent this problem, the researchers examined in mice whether a course of chemotherapy drugs pentostatin and cyclophosphamide (PC) could block the production of antibodies, which act to neutralize the anthrax toxin proteins.
Mice were inoculated with tumors and treated with one of the following regimens: saline (for use as a placebo), anthrax toxin protein therapy, PC, or a combined regimen of anthrax toxin protein therapy and PC.
After four cycles of therapy, spanning 42 days, all mice receiving the combined regimen were alive, whereas mice in the other groups had to be euthanized due to tumor growth.
In addition, the investigators could not detect any neutralizing antibodies in the combined regimen group, even after the fourth round of therapy.
Together, the results showed that the combined anthrax toxin protein and PC therapy has durable, anti-tumor effects worthy of further exploration, according to the authors.
The findings appear in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Share or comment on this article
Black teen tasered by Wisconsin police at shopping mall
Shocking video of mistress beaten in street by angry wife
CCTV footage appears to show moment bomb goes off at…
GRAPHIC Brooklyn woman fights attacker who tried to rape her
Video appears to show gunman being shot then bomb detonated
Bully gets knocked out and humiliated by smaller kid
New ISIS video shows footage of San Fran’s Golden Gate…
‘Drunk’ party girl leaves dead body in car after hit and run
People cower on floor at Istanbul airport after bomb blasts
Chris Cuomo pulls out in his 1969 convertible in 2015
Model’s last time on camera before she was brutally murdered
Mexican doctor caught on video having clumsy sex in his…
Has Britain avoided a ‘European superstate’? France and…
What are military UN trucks doing in Virginia? Bemused…
Death of a suicide bomber: Moment hero cop moves in to…
Mark Zuckerberg causes outrage after he starts building a…
DUI suspect ‘kept driving for a MILE with a dead pedestrian…
Married TV reporters in Arizona arrested and charged after…
EXCLUSIVE: Daughter gunned down by mom in Texas was due to…
Shocking video shows Wisconsin cops kicking and…
Father-of-two, 41, could become second Texan to lose a leg…
PIERS MORGAN: How can Kim Kardashian call herself a feminist…
‘Don’t do this. They’re our kids!’ Texas father watched in…
911 tapes reveal how mom who gunned down both her daughters…
Comments (2)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now