In the first study, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California at San Diego used a harmless strain of E. coli, called “Nissle 1917,” which is marketed as a promoter of gastrointestinal health.
The researchers engineered the bacteria to produce a luminescent signal when they encounter a tumor, which will then be detected with a simple urine test.
When fed to mice by mouth, the bacteria do not accumulate in tumors all over the body, but predictably zero in on liver tumors, the researchers found. That's because the hepatic portal vein carries them from the digestive tract to the liver.
The animals that were given the engineered bacteria did not exhibit any harmful side effects, the researchers said.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
