Nobel Laureate opens international cancer conference

Bacteria in a culture plate

Nobel Laureate Sir Tim Hunt opened the first ever international meeting on bacterial infection as a cause of cancer, held at King’s College London recently.

Leading scientists from around the world gathered for the first time to discuss the potential role of bacteria and their products in causing cancer, in order to drive forward research in this neglected area.

While the link between viral infections and cancer has long been established, Helicobacter pylori, the primary cause of gastric cancer, is the only bacterial infection widely acknowledge as a carcinogen. But the great diversity of bacteria makes it highly likely that there are numerous other bacterial carcinogens that remain undiscovered.

The main focus of the conference was on a group of bacteria that express toxins (bacterial poisons) that display characteristics with a carcinogenic potential. These toxins are known to interfere with signalling pathways, affect cell cycle control or directly attack DNA.

Professor Alistair Lax from the Department of Microbiology at the Dental Institute, who organised the conference, said: ‘We were very excited to be able to host this important international conference at King’s. It was a golden opportunity to share expertise and evidence with world-leading experts on this topic, and identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities for future studies.

‘What this meeting has highlighted is that more research urgently needs to be carried out in this area in order to identify other bacteria which could be causing cancer.’

Professor Peter Parker, Head of Cancer Studies and Deputy Director of the King’s Health Partners Integrated Cancer Centre, said: ‘The symposium has really emphasised how significant this area of bacterial infection is in cancer.

‘We need to maintain the enthusiasm and collaborative spirit engendered at the meeting and ensure development and support of renewed efforts in this area.’

The three-day meeting was funded by the European Science Foundation.