Calgary researchers zero in on gut bacteria as potent cancer fighter - Calgary Herald

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“We’d have to identify a mechanism…we identified three bacteria that were in an animal model of colorectal cancer and we wondered if we could tease apart the differences in the microbiomes,” she said.

Her team noted immunotherapy by itself was conspicuously ineffective.

But the bacteria that worked, she said, activated a T-cell which ultimately takes on cancerous tumours, shrinking them significantly.

“The three specific bacteria by themselves turn on a first switch on the T-cells within the intestine,” said McCoy.

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That bacteria generates a tiny molecule called inosine that interacts with the T-cells to boost the immunotherapy that in turn eradicates cancer cells.

Another bacteria, akkermansia, has also been found to be an effective tumour fighter, said the scientist, and like the other three bacteria, is one present in humans who have been the subject of some study.

“We actually found there was an increase in bacterium in the patients responding, but the studies were too small,” said McCoy.

The U of C studies using humans remain preliminary for now with researchers seeking grants to further and broaden that work, to focus on lung cancer and melanoma over several years, she said.

“We’re going to see if we can find this metabolite in the serum, or blood, and in feces and see if they’re working with the same mechanism,” said McCoy.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vY2FsZ2FyeWhlcmFsZC5jb20vbmV3cy9sb2NhbC1uZXdzL2NhbGdhcnktcmVzZWFyY2hlcnMtemVyby1pbi1vbi1ndXQtYmFjdGVyaWEtYXMtcG90ZW50LWNhbmNlci1maWdodGVy0gGcAWh0dHBzOi8vY2FsZ2FyeWhlcmFsZC5jb20vbmV3cy9sb2NhbC1uZXdzL2NhbGdhcnktcmVzZWFyY2hlcnMtemVyby1pbi1vbi1ndXQtYmFjdGVyaWEtYXMtcG90ZW50LWNhbmNlci1maWdodGVyL3djbS85YjZmMGI2Zi04YjU3LTQxNWUtYTU5OS0zMmQ2OWEyMmEyZTEvYW1wLw?oc=5

2020-08-13 18:15:53Z
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