Scientists have discovered a promising strategy for fecal attacks in cats with ovarian cancer. The feces of cats contain a parasite called T. gondii, which secretes certain proteins that can destroy ovarian tumors. Related research results were recently published in "PLOS GENETICS", and cancer vaccine research has opened the door.
About Toxoplasma
Toxoplasma gondii is an infectious microorganism that can infect the fetus of pregnant women and cause fetal death and brain damage. It is also related to dementia in AIDS patients. Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite that inhabits 50% of organisms and is usually found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals (especially cats). Eating contaminated meat/water or contact with cat feces may infect humans, causing toxoplasmosis and causing devastating effects on people with compromised immune systems. People may experience flu-like symptoms after infection, and some people may not have any symptoms.
A new hope for cancer treatment
Researchers now not only see the harm of Toxoplasma gondii, but also find that it may even have unexpected consequences for cancer treatment. ..
The research was conducted by researchers from the Dartmas Gaither School of Medicine under the leadership of Dr. David Bzik. "Invasive cancer usually looks like the remains of a fast-moving train. Toxoplasma gondii is small, but it is very powerful to track the tumor and prevent its development."
Tumor immunity Due to tolerance, it is difficult for the immune system to recognize cancer cells. In previous research, T. It has been found that the Gundi vaccine strain can cure mice with several solid tumors. In order to overcome the immune tolerance of tumors, in this study, the researchers further proposed T. We have determined which protein or immune system of the Gundi vaccine strain is at work. The researchers modified Toxoplasma gondii to systematically delete genes encoding secreted effector proteins, and injected the modified parasites into mice with invasive ovarian cancer. The results show that the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii secretes certain proteins before and after host invasion-rod-shaped protein and dense granule effect protein, which regulate the effective host anti-tumor response and the development of ovarian cancer mice. Shows that it improves performance.
The researchers mean that when the Toxoplasma gondii protozoa enters the human immune system, the human body will produce anti-cancer cells, which means that even if the cancer destroys the immune system, the Toxoplasma gondii can be repaired. They also found that Toxoplasma gondii protozoa can invade cancer cells and prevent their growth, thereby increasing the survival rate of mice. By tracking and understanding the host cell pathways that Toxoplasma proteins can control, scientists have identified potential new therapeutic targets to develop more effective methods to attack aggressive solid tumors. Achieving the use of infectious microorganisms to destroy the immune tolerance of tumors may be another good direction for cancer treatment. Researchers are currently conducting clinical trials to investigate whether Listeria can destroy the immune tolerance of pancreatic tumors.