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A breakthrough therapy developed by JU scientists wins the title of the Polish Product of the Future.

Salmonella bacteria may help cancer victims in future. A breakthrough anticancer therapy developed by JU scientists received the title of the Polish Product of the Future in the category of  “Technology  of the Future in the Implementation Stage” on June 23, 2010. The therapy is based on a modified strain of Salmonella bacteria, which penetrate the cancer tumor and destroy it.

 

The finale gala of the Polish Product of the Future competition took place in Warsaw on June 23, 2010. The winners received awards from Ms Grażyna Henclewska, the undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Ms Bożena Lubińska-Kasprzak, the CEO of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development and the president  of the chapter  of the “Polish Product of the Future” Competition. The chapter granted four main awards and six honorable mentions. The competition, under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Economy, has been organized by the Polish Agency of Enterprise Development (PARP). 

 

The innovative therapy uses special Salmonella bacteria, which due to genetic modifications identify cancer tissue and  inhabit it after being injected into  patient’s blood. Thanks to natural invasive mechanism bacteria penetrate tumor cells where they initiate the so called apoptosis (the process of self-destruction) and at the same time they stimulate the immune system and anticancer response.

- Patients treated with Salmonella bacteria will not develop the usual infection as the bacteria harmful properties have been considerably limited – says Paulina Chorbik conducted the research  under the supervision of dr Michał Bereta from the JU Collegium Medicum Department of Immunology, the author of the project. Current research is coordinated by dr Joanna Bereta from the JU Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology.
 
In  future the new technology may give a second chance to patients suffering from solid cancers, especially those of colon, lungs, breasts and stomach, and, most likely, other cancerous growths, like melanoma. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which are widely used today, are often ineffective and may produce serious side effects.

The effectiveness of  the new therapy has been confirmed by animal research. The next step is to refine the Salmonella strain to enable clinical trials.
 - Predicted efficiency and low production costs make the therapy an ideal target for business development – comments Dominik Czaplicki from the JU Centre for Innovations, Technology Transfer and University Development. – We have taken care of patent rights without which business companies will not be interested in taking over.


On the Competition

The „Polish Product of the Future” Competition has been organized annually since 1997 under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Economy. Since 2002 it has been organized by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. Its objective is to promote and popularize innovative techniques and technologies which stand a chance of being implement on the Polish market. The competition is targeted at innovative enterprises, research and development units, scientific and research  institutions and at individual inventors from EU that offer new, innovative products or technologies, including computer software, as long as it is used to control technological processes.  

Winners of the “Polish Product of the Future” award receive a statuette and a diploma, and they are entitled to use the logo and the slogan “Polish Product of the Future.” The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development assists them in promoting their achievements at international fairs and exhibitions and ensures the achievements are covered in the PARP publications and promotional materials.

Published Date: 23.06.2010
Published by: Łukasz Stadnicki
Uniwersytet Jagielloński