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Setting "cold" tumors on fire: Cancer therapy with live tumor-targeting bacteria
Simin Manole1, Dinh-Huy Nguyen2, Jung-Joon Min3
1Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
Med (New York, N.Y.)
|December 17, 2024
Summary
Engineered bacteria can create an anti-cancer immune response, potentially enhancing immunotherapy effectiveness. This approach aims to improve outcomes for patients who do not respond to current cancer treatments.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Cancer immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), shows promise but benefits only a subset of patients.
- Effective ICB response is often associated with immune-inflamed tumors containing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).
- Many patients with cancer do not benefit from current immunotherapy strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the use of live, tumor-targeting bacteria in cancer treatment.
- To explore strategies for engineering these bacteria to enhance anti-tumor immune responses.
- To propose how bacteria-induced tumor microenvironments can improve immunotherapy efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Summarizing existing research on live bacterial cancer therapies.
- Describing methods for engineering bacteria to modulate the immune system.
- Reviewing clinical trials combining ICB with live bacteria.
Main Results:
- Live bacteria can be engineered to maximize immunoregulatory effects.
- Tumor-localized bacterial infections can create an immune microenvironment conducive to antitumor immunity.
- Engineered bacteria show potential to enhance responses to ICB and other therapies.
Conclusions:
- Engineered live bacteria offer a promising strategy to overcome immunotherapy resistance.
- This approach can potentially broaden the patient population benefiting from cancer immunotherapy.
- Further clinical investigation of bacterial-based immunotherapy is warranted.
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