Programming bacteria to fight cancer

Drug Target Review | November 22, 2019

An international team of researchers has discovered a novel peptide that attacks gram negative bacteria at a previously unknown site of action. Germs such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae have become resistant to the most – and in some cases all – currently available antibiotics. Their additional external membrane makes these difficult to attack as it protects the bacteria by preventing many substances from getting into the cell interior. Especially for the treatment of diseases caused by these so-called gram negative bacteria, there is a lack of new active substances. “Since the 1960s, scientists have not succeeded in developing a new class of antibiotics effective against gram negative bacteria, but this could now be possible with the help of this peptide,” said Professor Till Schäberle from the Institute of Insect Biotechnology at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) and project leader at the DZIF, whose research group was involved in the discovery.

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Technology Networks | November 19, 2019

An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found that microorganisms living in the gut may alter the ageing process, which could lead to the development of food-based treatment to slow it down. All living organisms, including human beings, coexist with a myriad of microbial species living in and on them, and research conducted over the last 20 years has established their important role in nutrition, physiology, metabolism and behaviour. Using mice, the team led by Professor Sven Pettersson from the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, transplanted gut microbes from old mice (24 months old) into young, germ-free mice (6 weeks old). After eight weeks, the young mice had increased intestinal growth and production of neurons in the brain, known as neurogenesis. The team showed that the increased neurogenesis was due to an enrichment of gut microbes that produce a specific short chain fatty acid, called butyrate. Butyrate is produced through microbial fermentation of dietary fibres in the lower intestinal tract and stimulates production of a pro-longevity hormone called FGF21, which plays an important role in regulating the body’s energy and metabolism. As we age, butyrate production is reduced.

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Technology Networks | November 04, 2019

In the first study to use a technique called Mendelian randomization to investigate the causal role played by bacteria in the development of bowel cancer, Dr Kaitlin Wade, from the University of Bristol, told the 2019 NCRI Cancer Conference: “We found evidence that the presence of an unclassified type of bacteria from a bacterial group called Bacteroidales increased the risk of bowel cancer by between 2-15%. “This means that, on average, people with this type of bacteria within their gut may have a slightly higher risk of bowel cancer compared to those who don’t. We were able to use Mendelian randomization to understand the causal role that these bacteria may have on the disease. Our findings support previous studies that have shown that Bacteroidales bacteria are more likely to be present, and in larger quantities, in individuals with bowel cancer compared to those without the disease.” The microbiome is a community of microorganisms, bacteria in this case, that occur naturally in the body. There is increasing evidence that the make-up of the microbiome plays a role in the human health and the body’s susceptibility to disease. The human gut microbiome, which contains approximately three trillion bacteria, aids digestion and provides protection against infections. It is determined by a person’s individual genetic makeup and their environment, so is unique to each person. It also remains relatively stable across a person’s life, unless it is affected by antibiotics, an illness or a change of diet, among other things.

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