For years, nobody could explain exactly how a common gut bacterium linked to colorectal cancer actually damages the colon, but researchers have finally found the answer: the bacterial toxin latches onto a receptor called claudin-4, and that’s its way in, tearing through the colon’s protective barrier and opening the door to inflammation and tumor growth. Here’s the encouraging part. Knowing the toxin’s exact target let scientists build a decoy protein designed to intercept it before damage occurs, and in mouse studies, that decoy worked, blocking the toxin from reaching its target. It’s early days, but this gives researchers a real starting point for therapies that could stop colon cancer before it takes hold.
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