Lab-Made Parasitic Worm Can Kill Cancer Cells, Study Claims

Osaka University researchers have shown that nematodes, a specific type of parasitic worm, are capable of eliminating cancer cells.

To prove their claim, the researchers applied hydrogel-based "sheaths" (cancer-killing substances) that may later be modified to bring functional payload to the worm.

In November 2021, Interesting Engineering revealed that researchers had created a pancreatic cancer screening test that used genetically altered roundworms to identify early indications of the disease with just a drop of urine.

Parasitic Worm That Kills Cancer Cells

According to scientists, the bloodhound-like capacity of nematodes to track down cancer cells may be a fascinating - and rather repulsive - cure against challenging tumors. These parasitic worms can do the job provided they are given a little costume packed with anti-cancer medications.

Anisakis simplex, a marine nematode that may infect people, colonizes the intestines after becoming infected by raw seafood. Direct removal from the stomach is possible, but the infection may become chronic if untreated.

The human body can occasionally become infected by nematodes, which are minute, free-living worms that frequently live in soil or other environmental niches.

Anisakis simplex, a marine nematode that may infect humans if consumed, has shown an unexpected preference for cancer cells, SciTechDaily reported.

"A. simplex has been reported to sense cancer, potentially by detecting a cancer 'odor,' and to attach to cancerous tissues," said Wildan Mubarok, the study's first author, said in a statement.

"This led us to ask whether it could be used to deliver anti-cancer treatments directly to cancer cells within the human body."

These worms have a strange propensity to seek out cancer cells. Still, the problem is that if they try to go through the body, the body will aggressively attack them as a foreign infection since they are a foreign pathogen.

How These Parasites Could Do Its Job

Scientists from Osaka University tried to give the nematodes a new set of defenses to increase their survival capacity, IFL Science wrote.

The scientists used a hydrogel to wrap the nematodes with "sheaths" that would protect them without hindering their mobility or ability to find their way home. After being coated, the nematodes were still free to move about and use chemotaxis to seek out the cancer cells.

After that, the researchers added molecules to shield the worms from UV rays and harmful toxins. The findings demonstrated that it served as a barrier, keeping them safe while also allowing for the attachment of medications to the exterior. These factors showed that the worms might transport anti-cancer medications to tumors through the sheaths.

Although promising, anti-cancer medications were never actually connected, and additional study is needed for the proof-of-concept. However, should the worms be shown to be safe when utilized as a delivery vehicle, the astonishing capacity of nematodes to seek cancer cells might be an unlikely ally in the battle against many forms of tumor.

Researchers published their study titled "Nematode surface functionalization with hydrogel sheaths tailored in situ" in Materials Today Bio.

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