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New role of bacteriophages in medical oncology

Mohammad Moradi1, Hadi Esmaeili Gouvarchin Ghaleh2, Masoumeh Bolandian2

  • 1Student Research Committee, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry
|August 28, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Bacteriophages offer a promising, cost-effective approach for targeted cancer therapy and diagnosis. This review explores their potential as vectors for drug delivery, tumor marker detection, and vaccine development in oncology.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Biotechnology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Targeted cancer treatment faces limitations like high costs, toxicity, and damage to healthy cells.
  • Phage display is an innovative technique for developing cancer diagnostic and therapeutic agents.
  • Bacteriophages present unique advantages for cancer therapy due to their properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the potential of bacteriophages as targeted vectors in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
  • To highlight phage capabilities in drug and gene delivery to cancer cells.
  • To explore phage applications in tumor marker determination and anticancer vaccine design.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on bacteriophage applications in oncology.
  • Analysis of phage characteristics relevant to cancer targeting and therapy.
  • Examination of phage display techniques for peptide design.

Main Results:

  • Bacteriophages exhibit properties suitable for cancer treatment, including small size for vessel penetration and non-pathogenicity.
  • Phages can be genetically engineered for targeted drug/vaccine delivery and immune stimulation.
  • Phage display enables the design of peptides for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Conclusions:

  • Bacteriophages show significant potential as targeted vectors in medical oncology.
  • Further research is needed to fully realize the capabilities of phages in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
  • Phages offer a promising avenue for developing novel anticancer strategies, including targeted delivery and immunotherapy.
Keywords:
bacteriophagesbiological carriers cancertarget synthetic

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