Engineering of bacterial strains and their products for cancer therapy

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2013 Jun;97(12):5189-99. doi: 10.1007/s00253-013-4926-6. Epub 2013 May 4.

Abstract

The use of live bacteria in cancer therapies offers exciting possibilities. Nowadays, an increasing number of genetically engineered bacteria are emerging in the field, with applications both in therapy and diagnosis. In parallel, purified bacterial products are also gaining relevance as new classes of bioactive products to treat and prevent cancer growth and metastasis. In the first part of the article, we review the latest findings regarding the use of live bacteria and products as anti-cancer agents, paying special attention to immunotoxins, proteins, and peptides. In particular, we focus on the recent results of using azurin or its derived peptide as anticancer therapeutic agents. In the second part, we discuss the challenges of using metagenomic techniques as a distinctive approach for discovering new anti-cancer agents from bacterial origin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / isolation & purification
  • Antineoplastic Agents / metabolism*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Azurin / metabolism
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / metabolism*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Bacterial Toxins / metabolism
  • Biological Therapy / methods*
  • Biotechnology / methods
  • Computational Biology
  • Immunotoxins / metabolism
  • Metabolic Engineering / methods*
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways / genetics*
  • Metagenomics
  • Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Technology, Pharmaceutical / methods

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Immunotoxins
  • Azurin