Tumor-isolated Cutibacterium acnes as an effective tumor suppressive living drug

Abstract

The two major challenges in cancer treatment are reducing the side effects and minimizing the cost of cancer treatment. A better therapy to treat cancer remains to be developed despite the presence of many therapeutic options. Here, we present bacterial therapy for treating cancer using tumor-isolated Cutibacterium acnes, which is safe to use, has minimal side effects compared to chemotherapeutic drugs, and most importantly, targets the tumor microenvironment due to the bacterium's anaerobic nature. It activates the immune system, and the immune cells effectively penetrate through the tumor tissue and form an immunologic hub inside, explicitly targeting the tumor and destroying the cells. This bacterial therapy is a new cost-effective innovative treatment.

Keywords: Cutibacterium acnes; Immunology; Intratumoral bacteria; Tumor suppression.