Relevance: GS Paper III – Science & Tech (Biotechnology, NCDs); 

Source: The Hindu, global medical research

1. Immune-Free Bacterial Cancer Therapy

A Japanese research team has developed AUN Therapy, a novel cancer therapy that uses two engineered bacteria (Proteus mirabilis and Rhodopseudomonas palustris) to destroy tumour cells without relying on patient immunity.

• Selectively targets cancer cells and remodels tumour tissue.
  
• Avoids major side effects such as cytokine release syndrome.
  
• Especially useful for immunocompromised patients receiving chemo/radiotherapy.
  

UPSC Relevance: Part of emerging microbial oncology and precision biotherapeutics.

2. GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs & Cancer Risk Reduction

A new University of California study reports that GLP-1 agonists (e.g., Ozempic, Wegovy) nearly halve mortality in colorectal cancer patients.
Benefits arise from:

• Anti-inflammatory action
  
• Metabolic improvements
  
• Stronger effect in patients with obesity (BMI >35)
  

Clinical trials are underway to confirm if these drugs have a direct anti-cancer mechanism.

UPSC Relevance: Links obesity, metabolism and cancer; ties to India’s NPCDCS programme.

3. Gut Microbiome & Heart Disease

Research from Seoul identifies 15 gut bacteria strongly associated with coronary artery disease.
Key insights:

• Imbalanced gut microbes trigger inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.
  
• Even “good” bacteria like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii may become harmful in altered environments.
  
• Highlights the gut–heart axis in non-communicable diseases.
  

UPSC Relevance: Supports preventive health focus under Ayushman Bharat HWCs and growing interest in microbiome medicine.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Consider the following pairs:

1. Cancer therapy – Immune-independent bacterial treatment
   
2. Colorectal cancer – Reduced mortality linked to GLP-1 drugs
   
3. Coronary artery disease – Linked to gut microbial imbalance
   

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d)