Modifying Bacteria to Treat Osteosarcoma

Researchers at the University of Nottingham from the School of Clinical Sciences’ Division of Pre-Clinical Oncology have recently done research on modifying harmless bacteria to create anti-cancer molecules. The specific bacterium being modified is Salmonella typhimurium, a harmless bacteria species. The team is led by Dr. Teresa Coughlan who is interested in modifying the bacteria in order to induce the production of molecules which kill cancer cells in osteosarcoma, a primary bone cancer. So far the team has been testing a clinically safe form of Salmonella typhimurium which localizes the tumor tissue rather than healthy tissue. About the specificity of the treatment Dr. Coughlan commented, “Developing a treatment that effectively targets cancer cells, but doesn’t damage healthy cells is the Holy Grail for bone cancer treatment.”

Currently, the main problem with treating bone cancer is finding a better way to only target the tissue affected by the tumor growth and not damage healthy tissue. Also, many anti-cancer drugs are given via intravenous injection which utilizes the vasculature system to transport the medication but tumors in bone have a low blood supply. By making the Salmonella typhimurium bacterium a transporter for caner killing molecules, Dr. Coughlan’s mission is to make bone cancer treatment more effective and specific. The molecules that are being investigated are called RNA interference molecules which would be produced in the bacterium and then released into the malignant cells of the tumor tissue in order to destroy the levels of cancer-causing molecules there.

I thought that this article was interesting because it involved so many topics of discussion that we have covered over the semester in class. One of the biggest issues that we have discussed is developing specific drugs that will have minimal side effects. In relation to the nanobot project, we have also talked a lot about noninvasive treatments and trying to align treatments with the body’s normal healthy functioning. All of these are important in this study of using a modified bacteria species to treat osteosarcoma with molecular medicine. One of the most impressive things about this treatment is its dynamic nature. Because the team is utilizing a preexisting and functioning organism to transport medication, they know that the “machinery” for it will be functioning. I think that these types of treatments will be utilized more and more frequently in the future as new organism are realized to be practical for homing in on certain diseases while carrying or producing medicine for the disease.

Article Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/204337.php
Alexander J. Quante '13 -- VTPP 434