Path to bacteriotherapy: From bacterial engineering to therapeutic perspectives.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Immunology
• Oncology

Background:

• Tumor microenvironments (TMEs) present significant challenges to conventional cancer therapies due to their heterogeneity and complexity.
• Malignant tumors often evade immune surveillance by altering surface antigens, which reduces antigen-presenting cells and impairs T-cell activation.
• Bacteria-mediated cancer immunotherapy is an emerging field that leverages engineered bacteria to elicit anticancer immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of oncolytic bacterial therapies.
• To discuss bacterial design strategies and their interactions within the TME.
• To compare current techniques for bacterial modification to enhance therapeutic effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on bacteria-mediated cancer immunotherapy.
• Analysis of synthetic biology and nanotechnology approaches for bacterial engineering.
• Examination of therapeutic payload delivery using engineered bacteria.
• Comparison of internal and external bacterial modification techniques.

Main Results:

• Engineered bacteria can be designed for enhanced biosafety and tumor specificity.
• Bacteria can effectively deliver therapeutic proteins, cytokines, nanoparticles, and chemotherapeutic drugs.
• Modified bacteria can elicit robust anticancer immune responses by overcoming TME challenges.
• Various internal and external modification strategies exist to maximize therapeutic efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Oncolytic bacterial therapy holds significant promise for cancer treatment by addressing TME complexity.
• Further research and development in bacterial design and modification are crucial for clinical translation.
• Challenges and opportunities in the clinical application of oncolytic bacterial therapies require careful consideration.