A bacterium found in a Japanese tree frog’s intestines wiped out tumours in mice after a single intravenous dose, according to a study published in Gut Microbes.
The team was led by Professor Eijiro Miyako at Japan’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
Researchers isolated 45 bacterial strains from the intestines of Japanese tree frogs, fire belly newts and grass lizards. Through screening, nine strains showed anti-tumour effects, with Ewingella americana showing the strongest result.
In mice with colorectal cancer, a single intravenous administration of E. americana achieved complete tumour elimination with a 100 percent complete response rate, the study said.
The researchers said the result outperformed current standard therapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors, anti-PD-L1 antibody, and liposomal doxorubicin.
The study also found the bacterium killed cancer cells and engaged the animals’ immune systems for “comprehensive tumor destruction”.
“These findings suggest that gut microbiomes of lower vertebrates harbor numerous uncharacterized bacterial species with exceptional therapeutic potential,” the authors said.
“Our study underscores the critical importance of microbial biodiversity in advancing cancer treatment strategies.”
According to a press release, the therapy also showed an excellent safety profile.
The release said the bacterium had a blood half-life of about 1.2 hours and was completely undetectable after 24 hours. It reported zero bacterial colonisation in normal organs including the liver, spleen, lung, kidney and heart.
The release also said inflammatory responses were mild and temporary, returning to normal within 72 hours, and no chronic toxicity was seen during a 60-day observation period.
The team said future research would test the approach in breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma and other malignancies.
Researchers also plan to develop delivery methods including dose fractionation and intra-tumoural injection, and investigate possible combined effects with existing immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
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