A researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has performed groundbreaking work using Salmonella bacteria to destroy cancerous tumors.
Apparently, his findings were intriguing enough to make the government open its checkbook, too. In 2008, the National Institutes of Health awarded Neil Forbes of the Chemical Engineering Department at UMass Amherst a four-year research grant worth over $1 million.
So what prompted the generosity? Well, regarding the movement of Salmonella bacteria—Forbes said his research team has produced a technique for "controlling where they go, what chemical we want them to make, and when they make it."1
This means Salmonella could be used to penetrate parts of cancer tumors that chemotherapy drugs can't reach.
Forbes' idea is to eliminate the toxic elements of salmonella, then outfit them with the means to produce cancer drugs. The 'souped-up' Salmonella would be programmed to pump drugs directly into cancer cells to disable them.
The new procedure allows Salmonella to bypass cancer cells already killed by chemotherapy. Instead, the Salmonella would penetrate slow-growing, live cancer cells. Forbes said the drug released by the Salmonella bacteria would flip a switch called the 'death receptor' which causes cancer cells to kill themselves.
The UMass Amherst researchers have performed the procedure successfully in cancerous laboratory mice —with dramatic results. Forbes said it's normal for mice with tumors to die within 30 days. But animals that received the special Salmonella, along with a dose of radiation, all survived beyond the 30 days!
The group speculated this could mean an increase of several months or even years in people with cancerous tumors.
Although the Salmonella treatment does involve the use of cancer drugs to kill tumor cells, you'll be glad to learn about another bacterial component that shows promise as a cancer-killer—with no drugs involved.
Bacterial cancer treatments have been around for a long time
Scientists have known for more than 150 years that bacteria could be used to destroy cancerous tumors. If you've read our Special Reports Natural Cancer Remedies that Work or German Cancer Breakthrough, you may remember this.
The cancer-killing power of bacterial infections was first observed in 1893 when New York physician William Coley found that bone cancer patients who contracted bacterial infections survived longer. The mechanism is different from that in the University of Massachusetts research just described. Coley's treatments, which came to be called "Coley's toxins," kill cancer cells by inducing a high fever in the patient. Cancer cells can't survive the high body temperature, but healthy cells remain unharmed.
Unfortunately, early attempts at using bacteria to treat cancer produced toxic side effects in some patients—and earned the wrath of the mainstream medical community.
The two Special Reports describe a safe modern-day descendant of Coley's toxins, called hyperthermia. In hyperthermia, the doctor raises the body temperature by other means, so the patient doesn't have to take the risk of being infected with a disease that induces a fever. The fever is artificial and it's all over in an hour or so. Modern-day hyperthermia is one of the most effective cancer therapies around.
I'm going to say something I don't often say: hyperthermia is one of the treatments I'd definitely want if I had cancer myself. Sometimes I don't have conclusive evidence about a treatment when I write about it in this newsletter. If a treatment sounds interesting, I pass the information along for your consideration, without recommending it one way or the other. The MMS treatment I wrote about in Issue #29 is in that category. Some people swear by it, but my investigation indicated it makes most people so sick to their stomachs they can’t stand it. There are plenty of good treatments that don’t make you sick, so I see little need to roll the dice on MMS.
Hyperthermia is different. The verdict is in on this one. It's a good treatment.
Unfortunately, hyperthermia is next to impossible to get in the United States. If you want to seek out this treatment, your best bet is probably to go to one of the alternative cancer clinics in Mexico. We've just published our new, updated guide to these clinics called Adios, Cancer! CLICK HERE to learn more. Not all the Mexican clinics offer hyperthermia, but the report offers a choice of 20 good, reputable clinics and it's easy to find out before you go if hyperthermia is offered.
A powerful protein plays the role of 'tumor terminator'!
Meanwhile, there's now another cancer breakthrough involving bacteria. In 2002, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago2 managed to isolate a bacterial protein that kills cancer cells—with no harmful side effects!
According to study results published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences3 , the potential cancer killer is the protein azurin that's secreted by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium.
Azurin is known to play a role in the daily process cells use to generate energy. But the Chicago researchers discovered it could be a powerful weapon in the war to eliminate cancer.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium that can cause respiratory infections. The germ can kill your body's macrophages—which your immune system uses as a first line of defense against harmful invaders.
In the UIC study, mice implanted with human melanoma received half a milligram of azurin daily for 22 days. Note that the mice didn't receive live bacteria, just the cancer-killing substance the bacteria produce.
Researchers found that these mice had an average tumor size that was 60 percent smaller at the end of the trial than those in untreated mice. Plus, none of the mice showed any signs of weight loss or illness.
According to study investigator Ananda Chakrabarty4, a UIC distinguished professor of microbiology and immunology, azurin could be an effective treatment for cancers... HIV/AIDS... parasites... and viral infections.
Although more time is needed for researchers to perfect bacterial cancer treatments, it's encouraging to know that the mainstream medical establishment hasn't stamped out all efforts to produce alternatives to chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
I suspect if the University of Massachusetts or University of Illinois research is ever commercialized, it will be at a retail price calculated to wipe out your savings account. But at least it won't be toxic.
It's possible that continued research into the use of bacteria for cancer treatment could produce the most beneficial type of 'germ warfare' ever conceived.
Best regards,
Lee Euler,
Publisher
