Scientists forced cancer cells to commit suicide by producing a bacterial toxin

 Scientists from Tel Aviv University (TAU) for the first time managed to encode a bacteriological toxin into messenger RNA molecules, which delivered it to cancer cells and forced them to actually commit suicide.

The results of the study were published in the journal Theranostics, informs UAINFO.org with reference to Obozrevatel.

The revolutionary study was led by graduate student Yasmin Granot-Matok and professor Dan Peer, a pioneer in the development of RNA therapy, head of the nanomedicine laboratory at the School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research. Shmunis, as well as TAU's vice president for research and development.

"Our idea was to deliver safe mRNA molecules encoding a bacterial toxin directly to cancer cells, prompting them to produce a toxic protein that would later kill them. It's like putting a Trojan horse inside a cancer cell," – said Peer.

He noted that unlike chemotherapy, which kills both cancer and healthy cells, the new method has a clear target, so it does not cause unnecessary harm to the cancer patient.

First of all, scientists encoded the genetic information of a toxic protein produced by bacteria of the pseudo monad family into mRNA molecules. A similar technology was used in the creation of an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, when the genetic information of the spike protein of COVID-19 was encoded into mRNA molecules.

Subsequently, the nanomedicine laboratory, which Peer directs, developed lipid nanoparticles in which mRNA molecules were packaged. These particles were also coated with antibodies to ensure that the "instructions" from the mRNA to produce the toxin would reach the cancer cells.

After that, the particles were injected into experimental mice suffering from skin cancer.

"When a cancer cell reads the 'instruction', it begins to produce a toxin as if it were a bacterium itself, and this self-produced toxin eventually kills it. Thus, with a simple injection into the tumor bed, we can force the cancer cells to 'end their lives' suicide" without damaging healthy cells," Peer said.

He also added that cancer cells will not be able to develop resistance to this technology, as is often the case with chemotherapy, because it will be enough for scientists to replace the natural toxin.

Tests showed that the very first injection of such a drug killed 44-60% of cancer cells.

According to the professor, using the Pseudomonas bacterium and testing it against melanoma cancer is just "a matter of convenience."

Peer suggests that most toxins produced by anaerobic bacteria, especially those that live in soil, could probably be used in this method.

"This is our 'recipe', and we know how to deliver it directly to the target cells with the help of our nanoparticles," explained the scientist.