NIH: Engineered anthrax toxins could help treat cancerous tumors

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Monday described how combining engineered anthrax toxin proteins and existing chemotherapy drugs could potentially yield a therapy to reduce or eliminate cancerous tumors.

Data was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, all of which are a part of NIH.

NIH scientists found that the bacterium bacillus anthracis, which causes the anthrax disease, produces a toxin made of three proteins that are individually non-toxic. The bacterium have shown to suppress tumor growth, leading many to believe they could be used as a potential cancer therapy. While promising, scientists are still unsure specifically how the anthrax toxin proteins control tumor growth.

NIH used mouse models in the study to show that anthrax toxin proteins work by specifically targeting the cells that line the inner walls of blood vessels feeding the tumor. Those proteins reach the cells through a surface receptor, preventing the cancer cells from reproducing. These toxins do not target the tumor specifically, but the host-derived blood vessel cells that assist tumor growth.

NIH conducts and supports research to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and develops a better means to prevent, diagnose and treat those illnesses.