Scientists aim to use sound-controlled bacteria to cure cancer

For many doctors, scientists and specialists, cancer is still a big mystery. However, this mystery dissipates as medicine advances in the search for more effective treatments. In this sense, the news of this new cancer treatment boosts hopes in recovery of patients. For this, the scientists at the California Institute of Technology intend to use genetically modified bacteria that move based on sound. Through these mechanisms, it would be possible to map and attack cancer cells.

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The method is simple to understand, but very delicate in its execution. Basically, doctors intend to introduce bacteria of the Escherichia coli strain into the body of a cancer patient. Then, immunosuppressed bacteria would be able to colonize the cancer cells and thus escape the attack of the immune system.

At that moment, the medical team would have to trigger an ultrasound device capable of stimulating the bacteria to produce anticancer drugs. This advanced technology would manage to eliminate the disease without having major side effects on the patient. However, the experiment is still in the testing phase and depends on robust investments to reach patients.

modified bacteria

The work is led by Professor Mikhail Shapiro, who is Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. It was his idea to use these bacteria to treat cancer, but E. coli was already used for medical treatments. However, there were efforts to modify them.

For this, the scientists designed the bacteria from two new sets of genes, one capable of producing nanobodies and another that would activate them. From then on, it would be necessary to use a kind of thermal switch, which works only at specific temperatures. Soon, the scientists would use an ultrasound device to stimulate heating between 42 to 43 degrees Celsius.

So far, the research group has only carried out tests on mice, but the results have been positive. Still, tests on human patients must be carried out very soon to have a final verdict on the method.