Marine bacteria shows promise for curing an aggressive ​​​​​​​brain cancer

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A scientist working with a team of colleagues at the University of California San Diego, identified two different species of Salinispora bacteria. When one of these species, S. tropica, was tested on a line of difficult-to-kill human colon cancer cells, the compound passed with flying colors. The scientist then sent it to labs at the National Cancer Institute to be tested against a panel of 60 different cancer cells. The results were exactly what the team wanted to see: the compound, which they named salinosporamide A, was especially active against some cancer cell lines.

The sediments blanketing the ocean floor and the invertebrates that form its living terrain both contain a wealth of creatures invisible to the naked eye, including marine bacteria. Tiny as they are, these uncharismatic microbes play a critical role in recycling nutrients in the ocean and in feeding other organisms. Many also produce chemicals to defend themselves against predators and microbial pathogens, as well as to communicate and compete with other organisms.

Because these compounds can attract, deter, or kill other microbes, some can also benefit people as potent antitumor agents, antibiotics and antivirals.

Since their initial discovery of salinosporamide A, the Scripps scientists have found more than 100 novel active compounds. Within a couple of hours, they were one step closer to knowing if either the bubblegum coral or the sponge might help them expand that pool of discoveries; Gutleben managed to extract two high-quality vials of genetic material. But when I suggested that she may have just handled a specimen that would lead to the next promising cancer drug, she laughed and offered a reality check. “Yeah, but out of around 1,000 compounds that get detected, only one makes it into clinical trials.”

Source - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/marine-bacteria-shows-promise-for-curing-aggressive-brain-cancer-180978552/

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this would be amazing