Bacteria generally cause illness by excessive growth in the body and by stimulating an excessively strong immune response. The substances produced by the immune system in response to the bacteria can cause very severe illness and death. The result is a type of bacteria that is weakened and can be cleared easily by the immune system without over-stimulating it. In normal tissues, the bacteria are controlled and cleared by the immune system. Within tumors, where tumor-produced substances inhibit the immune system, the bacteria grow well.
Animals are able to clear the bacteria from blood and other organs spontaneously.
Furthermore, even animals with weakened immune systems, more so than patients with cancer, can easily clear the bacteria. But the animal model studies predict that side-effects will be mild and easily controlled. Scientists at Vion have modified the gene structure of the bacteria by deleting the last chain in the Lipid A structure. Lipid A is the substance on the surface of the bacteria that causes the stimulation of body immune cells to produce cytokines. The cytokines, when produced in excess, have deleterious effects on body organs and tissues, and can result in septic shock.