How infant gut microbes could treat cancer; Introducing Bioscopic
31st January 2025
We chat to Dr Chris Price about the potential of using Bifidobacteria to treat cancer and the process of spinning out the company Bioscopic
“I joined the Quadram Institute as a PhD student to work on how we can use bacteria to treat cancer. My PhD built on ten years of clinical research from Professor Lindsay Hall’s group showing that infant gut microbes are important in programming the immune system.
Bifidobacteria and the immune system
Infant gut microbes called Bifidobacteria are important in early life. These friendly gut microbes feed on human breast milk and up to 80% of infants’ guts can be dominated by these types of bacteria. Adults have less Bifidobacteria as they age.
Professor Lindsay Hall’s research shows that premature loss of Bifidobacteria in infants is linked with an increased risk of developing serious infections including sepsis. That risk is reversed if Bifidobacteria are returned to the infants’ guts. Her research showed that this is due to the good microbes reprogramming the immune system.
In most chronic diseases, including cancer, the immune system doesn’t work properly. My PhD in Dr Stephen Robinson’s group explored using Bifidobacteria in adults to see if they could reprogramme the immune system to treat cancer.
In my PhD we found that lots of types of Bifidobacteria can shrink tumors in mice, which was really exciting research.
Most of our work is on breast cancer. But I’ve worked on melanoma and pancreatic cancer too.
Using compounds made by microbes; bugs as drugs
During my PhD, my research developed from using living beneficial bacteria to using the products made by the live bacteria.
The problem with using live bacteria to treat patients is though bacteria are great as factories for making the compounds, they’re pretty unreliable for delivering those compounds. Bacteria are fussy about where they live and when they produce compounds.
We all have different diets, gut conditions and different competing bacteria so there is a lot of variation in how effective using live bacteria as a therapy can be.
Through our research we cut this problem out by figuring out which compounds the bacteria are producing that can treat the disease. We can then isolate the microbial compounds and use them as a drug. We’re returning to what bacteria are good at, which is being factories and we’re moving away from what they’re less good at, which is being drug delivery systems.
Our proof-of-concept study showed that a compound we isolated from infant gut Bifidiobacteria can shrink tumours.
The compound is a sugar produced on the bacteria cell surface, called an exopolysaccharide. This bacterial sugar interacts with immune cells in the gut. Those immune cells then travel all the way from the gut, in the blood, to the tumour. In the tumour the immune cells then programme other immune cells to fight the tumour.
The preprint paper from my PhD showed we can reduce tumour burden by about 50% and we saw an enhanced response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy too.
One of the problems with breast cancer is that there are lots of different sub types of breast cancer that currently respond dramatically different to therapy. Survival rates can vary from 90% for five years for some sub types to as low as 25% for other sub types of breast cancer.
Our research has shown that the infant gut bacterial compound was effective across different types of breast cancer which makes it a particularly promising cancer therapy.
The beginning of Bioscopic
Towards the end of my PhD I realised there was a potential for forming a company to apply my research into the real world and help people.
Together with Lindsay and Stephen, we are spinning out the company Bioscopic.
Bioscopic focuses on the concept of using infant bacteria to treat chronic disease. We have the largest collection of infant bacteria in the world which we’re using as a screening platform to find new drugs against cancer.
Bioscopic is unique in using compounds from live bacteria, rather than the live bacteria themselves, which increases the effectiveness of the therapy. Bioscopic has had lots of interest so far which is exciting.
Spinning out a startup to increase the impact of science
I hadn’t thought about forming a company before my PhD. I am motivated by wanting to have the biggest impact from the work we do. I guess you could say that I’m very translationally minded.
Fundamental research is really important, but I’m interested in doing research that has an impact too. I think having a company is one of the best ways of doing that.
Starting a company during my PhD was a steep learning curve. I’ve learned lots about how to raise money, pitching and venture capital.
I’ve taken part in educational programmes for researchers about commercialising work. I found the nucleate programme particularly helpful. Nucleate is a student run organisation which puts on workshops with company founders. I found Nucleate helpful to make connections and learn how to pitch to investors.
At the Quadram Institute I’ve pitched to our Industry Advisory Panel which has been really helpful. I think it’s great that the institute now has an Entrepreneur in Residence too, to help mentor entrepreneurial scientists to commercialise research. It’s really valuable to have a dedicated role for mentoring entrepreneurs, with commercial expertise who has experience of raising money and tech transfer.
On the Norwich Research Park, I’ve taken part in commercialisation training programmes and competitions that have been very useful. Plus Bioscopic has benefitted from pre-seed funding on the research park.
I feel as scientists we have a responsibility for not just generating data but also making science have an impact in the real world.
Lots of science doesn’t make it out into the real world and just gathers dust. I would love to see more scientists take responsibility for not just finding data, but making sure science makes a difference.
I’m excited for our next steps in Bioscopic, revolutionising healthcare with infant bacteria. If you are interested learning more about our work, get in touch.”
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Food, Microbiome and Health