Probiotic Engineering and Targeted Sonoimmuno-Therapy Augmented by STING Agonist

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanomedicine
• Immunotherapy

Background:

• Tumor targeting and immunomodulation are crucial for effective sonodynamic therapy (SDT).
• Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) is a clinically approved sonosensitizer.
• Probiotic bacteria like Bifidobacteria Longum (BiL) possess hypoxic tropism, enabling tumor targeting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer probiotic bacteria with a sonosensitizer for targeted tumor therapy.
• To enhance anti-tumor immunity during sonodynamic treatment.
• To develop a novel sonoimmunotherapeutic strategy using microbiotic nanomedicine.

Main Methods:

• Probiotic engineering of Bifidobacteria Longum (BiL) with hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) to create HMME@BiL cells.
• Utilizing the hypoxic tropism of BiL for tumor targeting.
• Employing the stimulator of interferon genes immune agonist SR717 to boost anti-tumor immunity.

Main Results:

• Effective in vitro and in vivo tumor targeting and sonodynamic therapy achieved with HMME@BiL cells.
• Significant improvement in anti-tumor immunity and eradication of primary and metastatic tumors.
• Demonstrated satisfied biocompatibility of the developed sonoimmunotherapeutic strategy.

Conclusions:

• Engineered probiotic bacteria (HMME@BiL) offer a promising platform for targeted sonodynamic therapy.
• The combination of sonosensitizers and immune agonists enhances anti-tumor immune responses.
• This microbiotic nanomedicine approach presents a sophisticated sonoimmunotherapeutic strategy against malignant tumors.