Revolution in cancer therapy - hope for bacteria as a cure for cancer

Bacteria are suspected of increasing the risk of cancer.

Now they are to be used as a cure for cancer.

The results of a study are promising.

• A new approach from Switzerland could

  revolutionize

  cancer therapy

  .

• The company is developing a therapy in which

  bacteria are used

  as a cure for cancer.

• The

  study

  is scheduled to begin in early 2021.

Kassel -

diagnosis

: This is a terrifying scenario for many, because cancer is often associated with radiation and therapies with strong side effects.

The hope for a

is high.

A start-up from Switzerland wants to revolutionize cancer therapy and is relying on an unusual-sounding option: bacteria.

Bacteria as a cure for

, that sounds anything but sensible at first, as they are considered a

.

Some

are even suspected of causing cancer.

An infection with "Helicobacter pylori" bacteria is, for example, a risk factor for gastric cancer, according to the result of a study on which the German Cancer Society also reports.

Bacteria increase the risk of cancer - now they should cure the disease

But other

can also increase the risk of

.

Chlamydia are suspected of promoting cervical and ovarian cancer.

Bacteria can also increase the risk of prostate cancer or colon cancer.

The

scientists at the Swiss start-up T3 Pharmaceuticals AG (T3 Pharma) want to use the bacterium "Yersinia enterocolitica"

for their new

.

After Campylobacter and Salmonella, this is the third most common bacterial pathogen that is registered in Germany in connection with intestinal diseases, according to the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety.

New cancer therapy - start-up wants to inject bacteria into patients

In the coming years, the company plans to start

injecting

the

into patients.

"Living bacteria could

produce

the next big wave of

," says Simon Ittig, founder of T3 Pharma, the Wirtschaftswoche magazine.

The idea is not entirely new: A

from 2010 has already examined whether bacteria could be used in cancer therapy.

As one of many young companies, the start-up from Basel

now

wants to put this new form of

into practice.

Live

are used to defeat the cancer

focus

.

The use of live bacteria gives scientists the ability to transport proteins into and infect cancer cells, a process known as the type 3 secretion system.

Revolution in cancer therapy: Better chances of recovery and fewer side effects possible

This new

is very promising because it could cure cancer better than previously available therapies.

In addition, this approach could have significantly fewer side effects than established therapeutic approaches, because the

would attack the cancer sources from within.

The living "bacterial vehicle" developed is designed to multiply in tumors while they are killed by the immune system in healthy tissue, according to T3 Pharma.

The aim of

is "to activate the patient's immune system in order to fight the tumor itself."

Bacteria as a Cure - A Revolution in Cancer Therapy

The novel

could soon take an important step forward.

In July 2020, the company received 25 million francs (around 23 million euros) from investors in order to advance a clinical study on its leading therapeutic candidate "T3P-Y058-739".

The start of the study is planned for the beginning of 2021.

Cancer patients need to be extra careful during the corona pandemic.

(Sarah Neumeyer)