Engineered Bacteria Act as Tumor “GPS” for Immunotherapies
Engineered E.coli bacteria can move into tumors and indue potent immune responses.
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
Recent research has shown that certain forms of E. coli bacteria tend to colonize hypoxic areas of the body, including tumors, suggesting they might be playing a role in cancer therapeutics. A team of researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute led by Dr. Romee in collaboration with Dr. Jiahe Li at the University of Michigan engineered gut derived E. coli bacteria to express immune-activating cytokines on their surfaces, with the idea that the bacteria would move into the tumor and induce potent immune responses. E. coli displaying murine decoy resistant IL18 demonstrated superior anti-tumor responses compared to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, with a 50-60% cure rate in mice. The team also observed synergy between treatment with the engineered bacteria and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
Want more breaking news?
Subscribe to Technology Networks’ daily newsletter, delivering breaking science news straight to your inbox every day.
Subscribe for FREEImmunotherapeutic approaches have substantially improved the treatment of patients with advanced malignancies. However, most advanced and metastatic malignancies remain incurable and therefore represent a major unmet need. This study uses genetically engineered live bacteria to strongly stimulate immune responses and enhance the effects of immunotherapy.
Reference: Yang S, Sheffer M, Kaplan IE, et al. Non-pathogenic E. coli displaying decoy-resistant IL18 mutein boosts anti-tumor and CAR NK cell responses. Nat Biotechnol. 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41587-024-02418-6
This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed here.