Will ‘Poop Pills’ Lead The Battle Against Cancer?

More and more research points to the idea that a healthy gut is an absolute priority for a generally healthy body. The latest illness scientists are looking at in relation to gut health is cancer.

They claim that certain bacteria (specifically firmicutes) within the gut may help patients be more receptive to anti-cancer treatments. A team of French researchers did experiments on mice, transplanting gut bacteria from two human groups – the first group were successfully treated cancer patients and the other group who did not respond to treatment.

The mice were then routinely injected with cancer cells and checkpoint inhibitors over the next fortnight. Mice who had been injected with the gut bacteria of cancer survivors were shown to respond much better to the treatment compared to mice injected from the other group.

The experiments with mice are promising but the next step is to apply it to humans. Researchers are looking into using either spores or ‘poop pills’ (fecal matter in the form of a pill) from cancer survivors.

Of course, lifestyle is very important and scientists pay close attention to the inter-relationship between diet, bacteria diversity in the their reception to cancer treatment.

Biologists and Medics can definitely benefit from delving into this fascinating area of medical research for a fantastic personal statement and interview.