Word: bacterias
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...bacteria often exist in the nose and throat without any adverse effects and researchers are still uncertain what causes the bacteria to grow out of control, said Huang...
Children who play together share more than toys; they also share germs. The potentially dangerous bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae may spread more rapidly among children who attend day-care, according to a recent study conducted by Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers...
...labs like this around the world, bad bugs are undergoing the ultimate rehabilitation, being transformed from life-threatening viruses and bacteria into lifesaving therapeutic agents. Using the tools of molecular biology, researchers like Russell are disguising and manipulating common microbes so that they will do good instead of harm. After all, nothing is better than a virus at evading the body's immune defenses and breaking into a cell. And nothing is better than a bacterium at producing deadly toxins that destroy a cell from the inside. "We can make a good anticancer agent," says Russell, "by harnessing and channeling...
...quite recently, that wouldn't have been a smart bet. The idea of harnessing microbes to do a doctor's bidding flourished briefly in the 1960s, during the early days of the genetic revolution. Scientists sketched out grand plans for treating disease by adding or removing genes taken from bacteria or viruses. Because they were so good at penetrating cells, infectious agents seemed the ideal vehicles for delivering drugs. Some cancer patients were treated with experimentally modified viruses, and a few even saw their tumors shrink. Too often, however, scientists lost control of their microbial partners. "It wasn't possible...
...Dallas, 2 of 3 patients given the modified salmonella showed signs that the chemotherapy agent was active. "It's a proof of principle that the strategy is working," says Bermudes. While his team seeks a partner to continue these studies, Vion is sufficiently convinced of the promise of bacteria-based therapies that it holds patents on potential cancer treatments from three more bacteria: listeria, streptococcus and shigella...