Salmonella in the fight against cancer
???Großansicht des Bildes???© Manfred Rohde / HIZ (Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung)???aural:Bildende???
Salmonella has a bad image: in summer, it crops up in connection with contaminated food. Salmonella don't just make people ill, though - in the future, it could play a crucial rote in cancer therapy.
The bacteria migrate selectively into tumors and could help to destroy them. Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research are studying how salmonella enters tumors. They have found that an immune system messenger opens the door for the pathogens. lt makes the blood vessels in cancerous tissue permeable, enabling the bacteria to invade and colonize the tumor. The researchers' aim is to modify the salmonella such that it releases an active substance into the tissue of the tumor without affecting the surrounding healthy tissue.
Contact:
Dr. Siegfried Weiß
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
siegfried.weiss@helmholtz-hzi.de
This research project was published in the brochure: "Researching: Health" (PDF, 5,7 MB)
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