Researchers are experimenting with engineered probiotics and cruciferous vegetables in an effort to pave the way to a more effective weapon against colorectal cancer.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deem colorectal cancer the third most common type of cancer to be diagnosed, as well as the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. And, according to data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), there were an estimated 135,430 new cases of colorectal cancer in 2017. Survival rates following treatment for this type of cancer are generally encouraging; 64.9 percent of patients have a long-term survival rate. However, in the more advanced stages of the disease, the outcomes following treatment are less optimistic, and the likelihood of tumor recurrence also increases. Now, Dr. Chun-Loong Ho, Prof. Matthew Chang, and colleagues, from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore in Clementi, are investigating new ways to treat colorectal cancer and to prevent its recurrence. The researchers have started experimenting with a mix of engineered probiotics and substances derived from cruciferous vegetables — such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts — to, ultimately, devise an effective anti-cancer “cocktail” from readily available ingredients. Their results were reported earlier this week in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Ho and his colleagues focused on Escherichia coli Nissle, which is a non-pathogenic (meaning non-disease-causing) microbe. They genetically engineered this E. coli strain into a probiotic that would be able to bind to a protein… [Read full story]
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