Summary
Researchers at the University of Waterloo have engineered bacteria that could help fight cancer. The bacteria, Clostridium sporogenes, can live in low-oxygen areas like the center of tumors and are modified to also survive where there's some oxygen. This offers a new way to break down cancerous tissues.
Key Facts
- A team at the University of Waterloo engineered bacteria to fight cancer.
- The bacteria chosen is Clostridium sporogenes, which thrives in low-oxygen environments found inside tumors.
- The bacteria were genetically modified to survive in areas with slightly more oxygen.
- A communication system called quorum sensing helps control when the bacteria can survive in these conditions.
- The bacteria's new abilities activate only when they gather in large numbers inside a tumor.
- Researchers aim to test this in pre-clinical models to see if the bacteria can fully break down tumors.
- This approach could provide a targeted method to destroy cancer from inside the body.
