Genetically Engineered Sound Controlled Bacteria That Seek and Destroy Cancer Cells
An artist’s depiction of a bacterial cell. Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/James Archer Since its inception, chemotherapy has proven to be a valuable tool in treating many types of cancer, but it has significant drawbacks. Apart from killing cancer cells, it can also destroy healthy cells such as those in hair follicles, causing baldness, and those that line the stomach, resulting in nausea. Now, scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) may have a better solution: voice-controlled, genetically engineered bacteria that seek out and destroy cancer cells. In a new paper published in the journal “The goal of this technology is to take advantage of the ability of engineered probiotics to infiltrate tumors, while using ultrasound to activate them to release potent drugs inside the tumor,” professor Shapiro says. A strain of E. coli called Nissle 1917, which is approved for medical uses in humans, was the starting point for their work. After being