This year, approximately 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed - a fatal illness that has been a priority for researchers around the world for several decades already. Now scientists have paid attention to the microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which will help create a vaccine against cancer. Readers can guess where this organism was found.
gondii (toxoplasm) is a unicellular parasite that lives in the intestine of any warm-blooded animal, although the ideal intestine for it is the intestine of an ordinary domestic cat. The parasite can enter the human body through the use of poorly processed food, contaminated water, as well as by direct contact with feces (for example, when cleaning a cat's toilet).
gondii can cause a dangerous infection known as toxoplasmosis. It manifests itself as influenza-like symptoms, including muscle pain and fever. In persons with weakened immunity, toxoplasmosis causes damage to the brain, eyes and internal organs. However, in most cases the infection of T. gondii passes without serious consequences.
According to the authors of the new study, led by Dr. David Jake (David J. Bzik) and Barbara Fox (Barbara Fox) from the School of Medicine of Geisel Dartmouth College, long-studied toxoplasma has anti-cancer properties.
They explain that when a parasite enters a human body, immune cells are activated, which are usually responsible for fighting cancer, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL, T-killers). While cancer can weaken the patient's immune system, toxoplasma can "restart" her.
Mutated T. gondii stop cancer Since toxoplasma still remains a dangerous infectious agent, scientists faced the task of making it harmless, preserving the healing potential. It is very unsafe to inject live aggressive parasites with cancer patients, in whom immunity is weakened.
Scientists have created a mutant T. gondii called "cps", which is completely incapable of breeding. This makes the vaccine safe, because the infection will not spread.
Dr. Bzik said: "Aggressive tumors are like a train coming off the rail at full speed. Cps - a microscopic "superhero" with incredible power, which on the move stops the train. The parasite stops the progression of cancer, and even causes the tumors to decrease in size under the action of natural immune defense, and completely destroys them ".
During the testing of the cps vaccine in mice with aggressive melanoma and ovarian cancer, scientists significantly improved the survival rate of animals. Bzik says that the cps vaccine "is an unusually effective immunotherapy against cancer that surpasses all that was before".
Scientists note that before checking cps on a person, it is necessary to better understand the mechanism of its action. In any case, this vaccine has a huge potential in cancer therapy.
Recently, The Journal of Leukocyte Biology published the results of a curious study of new cancer therapy. Scientists have suggested that antihistamines can be effective in cancer, but the mechanism of their action in this case is not completely understandable.
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