Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 14, 2000

Volume 28, Number 28

Salmonella injections may improve
treatment of cancer, study finds

Combining salmonella injections with radiation therapy in mice has shown promising new results for improved cancer treatment, according to a Yale study.

The findings by a team of Yale Cancer Center scientists in collaboration with Vion Pharmaceuticals of New Haven were re-ported at the 91st annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in San Francisco on April 4.

The researchers had previously developed a tumor-targeting, genetically-altered strain of salmonella -- the same bacterium that, in its unaltered or "wild type" form, can cause food poisoning and septic shock. This treatment was shown to be safe in animal studies, significantly prolonging the lives of mice by suppressing tumor growth. The genetically altered bacteria are currently being tested in phase I clinical trials with human cancer patients.

"For a number of reasons, we thought that combining these salmonella with X-ray treatments might be a good strategy for improved therapy," notes Dr. John Pawelek, senior research scientist at the School of Medicine. "It was exciting to see the positive results."

In a typical experiment, tumor suppression by a combination of X-rays and salmonella was greater than that seen with either X-rays or salmonella alone. In fact, the effects of the combination were greater than what would have been expected by the simple addition of the effects of either treatment alone, says Pawelek. These results were seen against two different types of melanoma, as well as in colon and breast cancers.

"It appears that the combination of genetically engineered salmonella with radiotherapy could be a new and beneficial treatment for solid tumors," says Pawelek. "Because of the large number of cancer patients who receive radiation therapy, the potential impact of this finding is tremendous."

Collaborating with Pawelek were therapeutic radiologists Sara Rockwell and K. Brooks Low of Yale, along with David Bermudes of Vion Pharmaceuticals.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Donald Margulies wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Broadway redesign project wins architecture award

Four students win contests for aspiring entrepreneurs

Study tracks second illness caused by ticks

Telemundo chief executive will visit as Gordon Grand Fellow

El Greco will be the focus of Yale painter's Rand Lecture

Rep offering explores culture through music, dance, stories

Student competition will unite an ancient mythical character and robots

Puente enjoys spotlight during visit as Chubb Fellow

Award-winning novelist discusses the art of writing and reading

Leonard S. Doob, a specialist on ways of resolving conflict, dies

'Visionary' student wins award for his work with homeless people

Neurologist Fuki Hisama is honored for her research on aging syndrome

Library acquires papers of noted Caribbean novelist

Lectures will explore emerging trend of 'personalized' medicine in drug industry

Salmonella injections may improve treatment of cancer, study finds

Artists will talk about their cutting-edge works

DMCA event to feature 'sonic world'

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