๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น (๐ ๐ฅ๐) ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฒ, ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ-๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐๐น๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ (๐ฎ-๐ ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐), ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐๐ฎ๐๐. ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐, ๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ-๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐.
An international team of scientists led by researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London and the University of Cologne has discovered that microbes associated with tumours produce a molecule, which can control cancer progression and boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
Most people are familiar with the microbes on their skin or in their gut, but recent discoveries have revealed that tumours also host unique communities of bacteria. Scientists are now investigating how these tumour-associated bacteria can affect tumour growth and the response to chemotherapy.
New research, published online in Cell Systems on September 10, 2025, provides a significant breakthrough in this field, identifying a potent anti-cancer metabolite produced by bacteria associated with colorectal cancer. This finding opens the door to new strategies for treating cancer, including the development of novel drugs that could enhance the potency of existing therapies.
The researchers used a sophisticated, large-scale screening approach to test over 1,100 conditions in a type of microscopic worm called C. elegans. Through this, they discovered that the bacterium E. coli produced a molecule called 2-methylisocitrate (2-MiCit), which could enhance the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).
Using computer modelling, the team demonstrated that the tumour-associated microbiome (bacteria found within and around tumours) from patients was also able to produce 2-MiCit.
To confirm the effectiveness of 2-MiCit, the team utilised two additional systems: human cancer cells and a fly model of colorectal cancer. In both cases, they found that 2-MiCit showed potent anti-cancer properties, and for the flies could extend survival.
Professor Filipe Cabreiro, head of the Host-Microbe Co-Metabolism group at the LMS, and group leader at the CECAD Research Cluster in Cologne, explains the significance of the discovery: โWeโve known that bacteria are associated with tumours, and now weโre starting to understand the chemical conversation theyโre having with cancer cells.ย
We found that one of these bacterial chemicals can act as a powerful partner for chemotherapy, disrupting the metabolism of cancer cells and making them more vulnerable to the drug.โ
The study revealed that 2-MiCit works by inhibiting a key enzyme in the mitochondria (structures inside cells that generate energy for cellular functions) of cancer cells.ย
This leads to DNA damage and activates pathways known to reduce the progression of cancer.ย
This multi-pronged attack weakens the cancer cells and works in synergy with 5-FU. The combination was significantly more effective at killing cancer cells than either compound alone.
Dr Daniel Martinez-Martinez, postdoctoral researcher at the LMS and first author of the paper, says: โMicrobes are an essential part of us.ย
That a single molecule can exert such a profound impact on cancer progression is truly remarkable, and another piece of evidence on how complex biology can be when considering it from a holistic point of view. It is really exciting because we are only scratching the surface of what is really happening.โ
In collaboration with medicinal chemists, the researchers also modified the 2-MiCit compound to enhance its effectiveness. This synthetic version proved even more potent at killing cancer cells, demonstrating the potential to develop new drugs based on natural microbial products.ย
Filipe adds: โUsing the natural microbial product as a starting point, we were able to design a more potent molecule, effectively improving on Mother Nature.โ
These exciting discoveries highlight how the cancer-associated microbiome can influence tumour progression, and how metabolites produced by these bacteria could be leveraged to enhance cancer treatments.ย
These findings are also significant in the context of personalised medicine, emphasising the importance of considering not only the patient but also their microbes.