Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat because it creates a protective shield around tumors, blocking the body's immune system. Now, scientists at the University of Chicago have found a new way to fight this cancer. They have changed a common gut bacteria, Bifidobacterium longum, into a tiny medicine factory. This bacteria is usually found in our digestive system and is used in foods like yogurt.
The scientists programmed the bacteria to find pancreatic tumors and make cancer-fighting medicine inside them. This works because Bifidobacterium needs an environment without oxygen to survive. Healthy tissues have oxygen, but tumors do not. So, the bacteria naturally go to the tumor to live. If they go to healthy organs, the oxygen kills them, making this a safe way to deliver medicine.
To make the medicine, the bacteria were changed to produce a special protein called SumIL-2. This protein helps the immune system fight cancer cells without harming healthy cells or causing dangerous side effects. In early tests on animals, this treatment helped shrink tumors. It worked even better when combined with other cancer treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
This new approach, called "bugs as drugs," uses modified living organisms instead of just chemicals. The research is still in the early stages, and human trials have not started. Scientists are studying the treatment's safety and exploring if it can be taken as a pill. This discovery offers a new hope for treating pancreatic cancer.