Chandigarh, Jan 04: Scientists in US have isolated an anti-cancer protein from a bacteria and showed that it enters only cancer cells, thus providing hope for its use in cancer therapy in the future.
"It has long been known that when tumors get infected by bacteria, they regress," Prof A M Chakrabarti from the University of Illinois at Chicago , US , told a plenary on the New Frontiers in Biotechnology at the 91st Indian Science Congress here.

Few years ago it was realised that micro-oraganisms did something active by secreting anti-cancer agents, which possibly could be isolated and used for treating cancer, Chakrabarti said.



"Now our team has isolated a protein from a specific kind of bacteria, Pseudomonas and found that when tumor cells are incubated with this protein, most of them, except some brain tumor cells, get killed," he said.

The experiment was repeated to see its implications on human cancers. Mice were transplanted with human cancer cells, which led to development of tumors in them. The mice with tumors were then injected with this protein and it was found that tumor size regressed, he said.


There was 85 per cent reduction of breast cancer in mice, he said.



The team has filed for patent for this protein, even as another protein which grows in slightly acidic conditions has also been isolated, Chakrabarti said adding it might have significance for treatment of stomach cancer in the future as stomach has slightly acidic conditions. Bureau Report