A bacterial Trojan horse delivers a viral payload directly to tumors, bypassing the immune system.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a novel, non-toxic strain of Salmonella bacteria designed to deliver cancer-killing viruses directly to liver and pancreatic tumors. The approach specifically targets a major limitation of oncolytic viruses: they are typically cleared by the immune system before they can reach internal tumors.
Key Findings
- High Precision Targeting: In mouse models, the bacteria localized to tumors at concentrations 50 million times higher than in the liver or spleen.
- Significant Tumor Reduction: Treated mice had tumors one quarter the size of those in untreated controls, and 27% the size of tumors in mice treated with the standard drug Sorafenib.
- Extended Survival: Treated mice lived up to 65 days longer than untreated controls.
- Flexible Delivery: Efficacy was similar whether the therapy was delivered via intravenous injection or direct tumor injection.
- Immune Protection: The therapy also induced immune responses that may help prevent cancer recurrence or metastasis.
Safety
Weight changes and inflammatory markers remained within acceptable ranges, indicating the therapy was well tolerated.
Next Steps
The research team plans to:
- Test the approach on other cancer types and with different viruses.
- Improve efficacy with the goal of achieving complete tumor elimination.