We are doing something unique and amazing at Westfield Academy and Central School on POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19 and we need YOU!
“To put it simply: suffering exists, it has a cause, it has an end, it has a cause to bring about an end.”
We conduct original genomic research with the hope that it will be woven into the tapestry of science for good!
“Lon, I think I understand what you are doing! A cancer diagnosis is like being chained to a huge boulder. You are asking people to break a pebble off that rock and put it in their shoe and walk on it for one day with the intent of removing the entire burden.”
Meet Our Bacteria
Helicobacter pylori 26695
previously known as Campylobacter pylori
Super Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Proteobacteria
Class: Epsilonproteobacteria
Order: Campylobacterales
Family: Helicobacteraceae
Gram Negative
3-8 flagella
Likes pH of 2 or less.
Aerobic
1,667,892 base pairs
1594 protein coding genes
361 genes without predicted function (22%).
532 possible enzymes
RESEARCHHelicobacter pylori and Gastric Cancer: Factors That Modulate Disease Risk
Helicobacter pylori and colorectal cancer—A bacterium going abroad?
Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: a state of the art review
2.
Fusobacterium nucleatum
lives in human oral cavity
Phylum: Fusobacteria
Class: Fusobacterii
Order: Fusobacteriales
Family: Fusobacteriaceae
Gram Negative
non-motile
plays a role in periodontal disease
Anaerobic
2,174,500 base pairs
2067 protein coding genes
568 genes without predicted function (26.5%).
672 possible enzymes
"Fusobacterium nucleatum (Gram stain)" by mostly*harmless is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
RESEARCH
Human Microbiome Fusobacterium Nucleatum in Esophageal Cancer Tissue Is Associated with Prognosis
Association between Fusobacterium nucleatum and colorectal cancer: Progress and future directions
3.
Mycoplasma fermentans
lives on mucus membranes
Phylum: Tenericutes
Class: Mollicutes
Order: Mycoplasmatales
Family: Mycoplasmataceae
Gram Positive
no cell wall
associated with arthritis, chronic fatigue, and Lyme disease.
facultative anaerobe
1,004,014 base pairs
893 protein coding genes
433 genes without predicted function (46.5%).
243 possible enzymes
In one study, Mycoplasma infections were present in 50.9% of esophageal cancer, 52.6% of lung cancer, 39.7% of breast cancer and 41% of glioma (tumor that occurs in the brain and spinal cord).
RESEARCH
Mycoplasmas and Human prostate cancer: An exciting but cautionary note
Persistent Exposure to Mycoplasma Induces Malignant Transformation of Human Prostate Cells
4. Chlamydophila pneumoniae CWL029
AKA Chlamydia pneumoniae
Phylum: Chlamydiae
Class: Chlamydiia
Order: Chlamydiales
Family: Chlamydiaceae
Gram Negative
must infect another cell to reproduce.
associated with pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, respiratory infection, coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis
infects koalas
1,230,230 base pairs
1052 protein coding genes
397 genes without predicted function (36%).
317 possible enzymes
RESEARCH
5.
Chlamydia trachomatis D/UW-3/CX
Phylum: Chlamydiae
Class: Chlamydiia
Order: Chlamydiales
Family: Chlamydiaceae
Aerobic
Gram Negative, but lacks a peptidoglycan cell wall
Coccoid or Rod shape
cannot synthesize its own ATP
4 million cases are diagnosed each year.
1,042,519 base pairs plus 7493 base pair plasmid
895 protein coding genes
261 genes without predicted function (28%).
292 possible enzymes
RESEARCH
Antibodies Against Chlamydia trachomatis and Ovarian Cancer Risk in Two Independent Populations
Why Bacteria?
For a novice annotator, Prokaryotic genes are easier to annotate than Eukaryotic genes.
Bacteria genomes have no privacy rights.
Bacteria genomes are small.
Bacteria genomes do not have introns (non-coding DNA).
No exons that can be combined in different ways to make different proteins, called isoforms.
Bacteria outnumber your body cells 10 to 1.
RESEARCH
Molecules Produced by Gut Bacteria Could Help The Human Body Fight Cancer
How can this work help research about these bacteria, especially regarding cancer research?
Bacteria can penetrate and grow in the microenvironment of the tumor. Therefore, they can used as a diagnostic tool.
Bacteria that live in close association with tumors can be “weaponized”. For example a bacteria can be engineered to produce a molecule called hemolysin, which destroys tumor cells by damaging their cell membranes. Another bacteria may be engineered to produce a drug that induces the cell to undergo programmed suicide. A third bacteria may be engineered to release a protein that stimulates the body’s immune system to attack the tumor.
Bacteria initiate chronic inflammation. Body cells “wear out” quickly, which makes cell reproduction necessary more often. Every time the DNA replicates, there is a greater chance of mistakes.
Bacteria produce carcinogenic metabolites .
Bacteria produce fecapentaenes, potent mutagens.
Microbes and Cancer in the Popular News
First comprehensive survey of virus DNA found within cancer cells
Microbes linked to cancer in threatened California foxes, report Princeton researchers
Targeting the cancer microenvironment
Prebiotics help mice fight melanoma by activating anti-tumor immunity
Does the Microbiome Help the Body Fight Cancer?
Designer probiotic treatment for cancer immunotherapy
Why eating yogurt may help lessen the risk of breast cancer
Genetic ‘fingerprints’ implicate gut bacterium in bowel cancer
Intestinal microbes reprogram genetic activity of gut mucosa
Researchers find link between gut microbiome and cancer treatment outcomes
Bacteria and Immunotherapy
Intestinal microbes reprogram genetic activity of gut mucosa
YouTube videos
Hacking bacteria to fight cancer - TED-ED
Tal Danino: We can use bacteria to detect cancer (and maybe treat it) TED