GoKawiilJohn Heller might well owe his life to Salmonella bacteria. In the summer of 2023, Heller was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. He began chemotherapy, expecting that this would give him about a year to live. But then a chance conversation led to him contacting a surgeon at the University of Minnesota, in Heller’s hometown of Minneapolis. The surgeon, Daniel Saltzman, was developing an innovative therapy that used genetically engineered Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria to deliver a potent immune-system-activating molecule called interleukin-2 (IL-2) to people’s tumours.
Special delivery: bacterial couriers are smuggling drugs into cancers
Why This Matters
Engineered bacteria are emerging as a delivery vehicle for cancer drugs, exemplified by a University of Minnesota trial using genetically modified Salmonella Typhimurium to carry the immune-activating molecule interleukin-2 directly into tumours. For a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer facing a roughly one-year prognosis, this represents a rare new option beyond standard chemotherapy. If such approaches hold up, they could open a whole new class of living therapeutics in oncology.
Key Takeaways
- Genetically engineered Salmonella Typhimurium is being tested as a 'courier' to deliver IL-2 into tumours.
- The approach targets hard-to-treat cancers such as advanced pancreatic cancer, where chemotherapy offers limited survival.
- The work is being developed by surgeon Daniel Saltzman at the University of Minnesota, with patient John Heller among those treated.
Explore topics:
salmonella typhimurium
pancreatic cancer
interleukin-2
university of minnesota
bacterial drug delivery
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