Why we write about this topic:
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Fortunately, extensive research is being done on the disease, slowly changing the way we approach and treat various types of tumors. This discovery is a great example. That’s why Innovation Origins selected this article.
Researchers at ETH Zurich use magnetic bacteria to fight cancerous tumors. Now they have found a way for these microorganisms to effectively cross blood vessel walls and subsequently colonize a tumor, the university writes in a press release.
Scientists around the world are investigating how anticancer drugs can more efficiently reach the tumors they target. One possibility is to use modified bacteria as “ferries” to carry drugs through the bloodstream to tumors. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now managed to control certain bacteria so that they can effectively cross the blood vessel wall and infiltrate tumor tissue.
Cancer treatment of the future will overcome tumors: Innovation Origins
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Bacterial cancer therapy
In cell cultures and mice, Simone Schürle and her team have now shown that a rotating magnetic field applied to the tumor improves the bacteria’s ability to cross the vascular wall near the cancerous growth. With the help of experiments and computer simulations, researchers at ETH Zurich were able to show that propelling bacteria using a rotating magnetic field is effective for three reasons.
First, propulsion using a rotating magnetic field is ten times more powerful than propulsion using a static magnetic field. The latter only sets the direction and the bacteria must move under its power. The second and most important reason is that the bacteria driven by the rotating magnetic field are constantly in motion, traveling along the vascular wall. This makes them more likely to find the gaps that open briefly between cells in the vessel wall compared to other types of propulsion, in which the bacteria’s movement is less exploratory. And third, unlike other methods, bacteria do not need to be tracked using images. Once the magnetic field is placed on the tumor, it does not need to be readjusted.
“We also make use of the natural, autonomous locomotion of bacteria,” explains Schürle. “Once the bacteria have broken through the blood vessel wall and are in the tumor, they can migrate independently inside it.” For this reason, the scientists use propulsion through the external magnetic field for just one hour, long enough for the bacteria to efficiently pass through the vascular wall and reach the tumor.
“Cancer is not a lifestyle disease” – Innovation Origins
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