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[–] 160 points 11 months ago (7 children)

Salient points for those who don’t want to read the article, or can’t:

  • The team administered a single shot of E. americana intravenously to mice with colorectal cancer, and it completely eliminated tumors in every treated animal.

  • Caused only short-lived inflammatory effects that resolved within 72 hours

  • Over two months of observation, treated mice showed no signs of organ damage or chronic toxicity.

  • The bacterium are also sensitive to antibiotics, providing intervention options if problems were to arise following treatment.

  • When the mice were later re-exposed to cancer cells, none developed new tumors, suggesting the treatment had triggered long-lasting immune memory.

This holds some real promise, I’m very excited to see what this brings! Kudos to the researchers!

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  • [–] 18 points 11 months ago (6 children)

    Mfw bacteria become resistant: 😱😱😱

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  • [–] 13 points 11 months ago (4 children)

    Still probably better than cancer, no ?

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  • [–] 22 points 11 months ago

    Getting news from memes is next level.

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  • [–] 59 points 11 months ago (7 children)

    Just a minute at 2000°C also eliminated all cancer cells in mice.

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  • [–] 39 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    Impact on the remaining cells still requires further studying

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  • [–] 9 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    This is my argument for government science budgets.

    Headline: Scientists Spend Millions Studying Andean Frog Fucking Habits!

    "What a waste!"

    What if I told you those scientists were making more frogs to study how they can freeze solid and thaw out? Or how limb regeneration works?

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  • [–] 9 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    If this takes off it could be a great thing for conservation. Frogs are in a lot of trouble!

    Sadly I'm not so sure, but I like to be optimistic

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  • [–] 20 points 11 months ago (4 children)

    afraid to ask: did it also eliminate the mice?

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  • [–] 41 points 11 months ago* (1 child)

    What's more, the response wasn’t just rapid but appeared to provide ongoing protection. When the mice were later re-exposed to cancer cells, none developed new tumors

    Apparently it made them stronger

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  • [–] 7 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Quite the contrary...

    first, it has a natural affinity for the low-oxygen environment inside solid tumors, so within just 24 hours it had increased its numbers by around 3,000-fold, but it also didn't drift over to impact any other healthy organs or tissue. Then it's able to directly kill the growth thanks to toxins it secretes inside the tumor.

    At the same time, the bacterial invasion triggered a natural immune response, and the tumors soon became flooded with immune cells – particularly neutrophils, and T and B cells – alongside increases in inflammatory signaling molecules. The combined effect was widespread tumor cell death driven both by direct bacterial action from the foreign gut bug and by the host’s own immune system.

    ...

    Importantly, this mechanism appears to also be highly tumor-specific, with E. americana sticking only to the tumor environment. The researchers believe this selectivity arises from a combination of factors unique to tumors – insufficient oxygen (hypoxia), leaky blood vessels, altered metabolism and locally suppressed immune defenses that allow the bacterial colony to thrive where they are also most destructive.

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  • [–] 24 points 11 months ago

    Awesome!

    ... we'll never hear about this again.

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  • [–] 5 points 10 months ago

    Gale: Stop licking the damn thing!

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  • [–] 19 points 11 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago

    They needn’t worry unless the mouse experimental animal Union is more powerful than theirs.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    :bufo-offers-gut-bacterium:

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  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago

    Could be we just aren't eating enough uncooked whole, live frogs in our modern diet. Someone has to volunteer to gulp down a few to see if their probiotics cure their cancer, throw some newts in for good measure. If we don't get proof that works at a citizen science level, pharma companies will at best brew the bacteria in a lab and sell it back to us at exorbitant prices. Who will be the next Jonas Salk?

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  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago

    I am down to get some frog gut shots

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