Harmless soil bacteria can help kill tumours

• Scientists are harnessing a harmless soil bug to kill tumours by using it as a drug delivery vehicle.
• The therapy uses Clostridia sporogenes — a bug found abundantly in soil. Its spores are injected into patients and only grow in solid tumours, where a specific bacterial enzyme is produced.
• An anti-cancer drug is injected separately into the patient. After reaching the tumour site, the bacterial enzyme activates the drug, allowing it to destroy only the tumour cells.
• University of Nottimgham's Nigel Minton, who led the research, said, "Clostridia are an ancient group of bacteria that evolved on the planet before it had an oxygen-rich atmosphere and so they thrive in low-oxygen conditions."
• When Clostridia spores are injected into a cancer patient, they will only grow in oxygen-deficit environments, i.e. the centre of solid tumours, according to a Nottingham statement.
• Any new cancer therapy is required to target cancer cells while excluding healthy cells. The research may ultimately lead to a simple and safe procedure for curing a wide range of solid tumours.
• "This therapy will kill all types of tumour cells. The treatment is superior to a surgical procedure, especially for patients at high risk or with difficult tumour locations," explained Minton.
• The strain is expected to be tested in cancer patients in 2013, says a scientist at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference at the University of York.