Therapy against cancer with anthrax bacteria

Therapy against cancer with anthrax bacteria

09/29/2014

Anthrax is an infectious disease that often ends in death. Even as a bioweapon the pathogen Bacillus anthracis was used. But the bacterium is not only a scarecrow for doctors, but may also provide a new approach to cancer treatment.

Dreaded by medical professionals
Among physicians, Bacillus anthracis is feared because the anthrax virus can very effectively channel toxic proteins into healthy human cells. As „Spektrum.de“ Bradley Pentelute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his colleagues now want to use this weapon to beat tumors and fight cancer better. The researchers removed certain sections of the responsible enzymes of the bacterium, which are responsible for the poisoning of the cells, because they destroy important cell processes. It is reported that only the section remains, which docks to the cell and via a narrow access channel the proteins to their target.

The scientists equipped instead of his deadly „freight“ the disarmed bacteria with two artificially generated antibody proteins. By paralyzing the metabolism of the tumors, they are supposed to kill the cancer cells. In recent years, antibody therapies have increasingly aroused the medical profession's interest in combating cancer. However, they all face a major hurdle: It is still extremely difficult to get the valuable cargo into the dangerous cells. This could possibly be done by Bacillus anthracis in the future. The useful conversion of the bacterium already succeeded in the test tube. Pentelute and his colleagues are next planning experiments on cancerous mice.

Deaths in Germany two years ago
The pathogen Bacillus anthracis causes the often deadly infectious disease anthrax, also called anthrax. The bacterium was even used as a biological weapon. In Germany, the anthrax virus caused at least two deaths and three other infections in the previous year. At that time, the pathogen was the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) according to the contaminated heroin presumably from Britain to Germany arrived. Such heroin was in the local drug scene since 2009 been in circulation. (Ad)