Scientists are coming up with innovative techniques to use conventionally bad organisms to treat cancers. The aim is to engineer the genomes of bacteria and make them able to resist against the cancer cells. If successful, the new way will have an enormous amount of resources in the form of bacteria on our skins, and the outcome is expected to eradicate cancer diseases.
Modifying The Microbes
The experiment is yet to be done on humans but so far, the results have been quite positive on mice. The concept is to mix a human, a microbe commonly found behind the ear, with a new gene that generates proteins and are found on the surface of cancer cells. The team of researchers were able to apply the designed genes on the mice and noticed a very slow cancer process after cancer cells were injected.
Treating Other Diseases
According to Michael Fischbach, a geneticist from Stanford University, while the primary objective of the team is cancer, they are considering the use of engineered bacteria for treating allergies and other illnesses.
