This text is part of the special Research section
Demonstrate that a Brazilian berry has anticancer powers, and stimulate the ability of certain cells to destroy malignant tumors? Two teams from the University of Montreal have recently published results that are both surprising and encouraging.
In oncology, immunotherapy is used to reactivate the immune system to fight the tumour. Despite the extraordinary results, several cancers continue to progress. “Our team is working on the role of the microbiome, all the bacteria present in the digestive tract. Thanks in part to our research, the microbiome is now recognized as one of the prognostic factors for response to immunotherapy, which allows us to say that a good microbiome responds well to immunotherapy,” explains Dr.r Bertrand Routy, professor in the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal and researcher at the CHUM Research Center (CRCHUM).
His basic research laboratory is interested in the composition of a Brazilian berry called camu camu berry and its effects on the microbiome. Thanks to tests on mice, the team has already been able to identify the molecule castalagin as being the active ingredient responsible for the antitumor activity.
“With this work carried out in collaboration with our colleagues from Laval and McGill universities, we prove that castalagin, a polyphenol acting as a prebiotic, modifies the intestinal microbiome and improves the response to immunotherapy even for cancers resistant to this type of treatment. “, continues the Dr Routy.
Promising trials
The CHUM Research Center announces that this major discovery on rodents can be tested on human beings thanks to the launch of the first clinical trial with the camu camu berry. Recruitment of 45 patients with lung cancer or melanoma will begin this month at the CHUM and the Jewish General Hospital.
The research project is part of the Brain Health: Lifestyle Approaches and Microbiome Contributions 2021 program and is funded with $1 million over three years by the Weston Family Foundation.
Although efforts are focused on patients with lung cancer or melanoma, Dr.r Routy believes that the effect of castalagin could have a positive impact on other types of cancers: “The Brazilian berry mechanism alters the microbiome in mice and increases good bacteria. What is interesting is that the studies seem to show that, whatever the type of cancer […], it is always the same bacteria that would be associated with the response. The active ingredient present in the berry could potentially be beneficial in several other cancers. »
These broader applications must be the subject of clinical studies, but the track proposed by the team of Dr Routy remains hopeful for the future of cancer control.
Decode the immune system
The Dr André Veillette is director of the Molecular Oncology Research Unit at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal and professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Montreal. His team recently demonstrated that it is possible to arouse the immune system’s instinct to destroy cancer thanks to two molecules located on the surface of macrophages, cells whose central role is to eliminate harmful agents by devouring.
By studying macrophages, it was discovered that they were particularly adept at destroying certain types of cancer cells. Even more, it has been found that it is possible to greatly stimulate the appetite of these immune cells, as pointed out by the Montreal Clinical Research Institute. Using animal models and human cell cultures in the laboratory, researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to increase the destructive instinct of macrophages by transforming them into “super devourers” of cancerous cells.
“The more we know about how the immune system works, the more we will be able to find effective and less toxic therapeutic solutions to fight disease,” explains Dr.r watch. Immune cells such as macrophages are currently attracting a lot of interest in the immunology research community, but also in the pharmaceutical industry, because it is really the future of medicine when it comes to several serious diseases. »
To better understand cancer, basic research, clinical research, public health research or precision medicine research have occupied scientists around the world for decades. To fight against this disease which affects, during their lifetime, two out of five Canadians, each good news marks a step forward.