Thaindian News

Washington, March 10 (IANS) Scientists are enlisting salmonella, a deadly bug that turns thousands of people sick every year, to do the unthinkable — fight cancer!

University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Centre researchers believe the bug may be a valuable tool in the fight against cancer in organs surrounding the gut, namely the liver, spleen, and colon, since that’s where salmonella naturally infects the body.

Trials in animals have already shown salmonella can successfully control tumours in the gut. Human clinical trials are already underway, showing promise.

“Many bacteria and viruses - even harmful ones - can be used to fight disease,” said Masonic Cancer Clinic medical director Edward Greeno, who led the study.

Scientists have known for centuries that cancer patients sometimes get better after they’ve been exposed to an infection. For example, Greeno said, there is a published Austria report from the 1860s on a patient with a large tumour, according to a Masonic Centre statement.

The patient was placed in the same room as another sick patient with a bad infection. Soon, the tumour became infected and began to shrink in the original patient and nearly disappeared. Unfortunately, the infection also killed the patient with the tumour.

So the key for this research initiative, Greeno said, was to find a way to get the tumour fighting abilities of salmonella delivered to the patient - without making the patient sick.