Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Bacteria that deliver treatment to the heart of the tumor
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • Partnerships
    • Press room
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
    • Xpeer App
  • Useful documents
    • Infographics
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Dermatology

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Bacteria that deliver treatment to the heart of the tumor

Bacteria that deliver treatment to the heart of the tumor

Cancer
Oncology

Release molecules directly in the heart of the tumor to assist the immune response and facilitate regression: this is the challenge taken up by probiotic bacteria specially designed to reach their target, multiply and release their cellular content.

Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Dermatology
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • Partnerships
    • Press room
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
    • Xpeer App
  • Useful documents
    • Infographics
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your colleagues might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
Photo : Bacteria that deliver treatment to the heart of the tumor

About this article

Created 29 May 2020
Updated 31 March 2022

While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)–monoclonal antibodies directed against immune system checkpoints–have revolutionized cancer treatment, they only work in a small number of patients and can produce a multitude of unwanted side effects (e.g. fatigue, skin rashes, endocrine disorders and hepatotoxicity). In addition, although combinations of several inhibitors can prove more effective, they may have higher toxicity, hence the reluctance to use them. In order to provide a more localized, more durable, and less invasive therapeutic option, it is therefore crucial to improve their method of administration. Due to their colonization method and preferential growth within tumors, bacteria may prove to be an ideal solution to deliver these cancer treatments locally.

A single dose for a prolonged effect

With this in mind, a team designed probiotic bacteria capable of releasing blockade nanobodies locally. These target two membrane receptors–the lymphocyte receptor CTLA-4 and the tumor receptor PD-L1–involved in the defense mechanisms activated by the tumor to prevent T cells from attacking it. Specifically, a single intravenous or intra-tumoral injection transports these probiotic bacteria to the heart of the tumor, where they multiply to a critical density and destroy the tumor cells by effectively and continuously releasing therapeutic nanobodies into the tumor’s microenvironment.

Effective on even the most aggressive tumors

The research team subsequently injected the probiotic into murine models for lymphoma and colorectal cancer. For lymphomas, a single intra-tumoral or intravenous injection of the probiotic bacteria “carrying” the treatment proved more effective than standard immunotherapy, leading to a complete regression of the tumor and the prevention of metastasis in both early and advanced models. But what about cancers known to be more resistant to immunotherapy, such as colorectal cancer? A single intra-tumoral dose of a combination of nanobodies and a growth factor (GM-CSF, used to improve anti-tumor response) was enough to shrink the tumor without any side effects.

Bacteria: the ideal vehicle for the future?

This research should help advance immunotherapy by providing a “carrier”, i.e. bacteria, with many advantages: possibility of combination therapies; continuous production of therapeutic substances; minimized toxicity; localized treatment distribution close to control points; and of course, use among a larger number of cancer patients.

Sources

Gurbatri CR, Lia I, Vincent R, et al. Engineered probiotics for local tumor delivery of checkpoint blockade nanobodies. Sci Transl Med. 2020 Feb 12;12(530):eaax0876.

 

Tags
ICI Immunotherapy Nanobodies Tumor Cancer

en_view en_sources

    Created 29 May 2020
    Updated 31 March 2022

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Cancer

    Medical practice

    Oncology

    Content type

    News

    Continue reading

    News
    Everything you need to know about Microbiota & Immunity
    15.09.2022

    Everything you need to know about Microbiota & Immunity

    Read the article
    21.02.2022

    Phage therapy for multidrug-resistant infections?

    Read the article
    Actu PRO : Cancer du poumon : l'influence majeure du microbiote pulmonaire
    16.04.2019

    Lung cancer: major influence of the lung microbiota

    Read the article

    Commensal clostridiales strains mediate effective anti-cancer immune response against solid tumours

    COMMENTED ARTICLE - ADULTS’ SECTION By Pr. Harry SokolGa...

    Find out more
    18.07.2022

    The urinary microbiota: towards a new prognostic tool for prostate cancer?

    Read the article

    Pr. Moisés Alvarez (Mexican winner 2019): Microbiota & colorectal cancer

    To celebrate #WorldMicrobiomeDay, the Biocodex Microbiota...

    Find out more
    Cancer du pancréas : un diagnostic précoce non invasif grâce au microbiote fécal ?
    16.06.2022

    Pancreatic cancer: non-invasive early diagnosis thanks to the fecal microbiota?

    Read the article
    Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy: the right dose of bacteria
    02.06.2022

    Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy: the right dose of bacteria

    Read the article
    What's worth reading about microbiota
    Follow us on Twitter
    Read our thematic folder
    The Janus face of Antibiotics: Life Savers & Microbiota Disrupters
    NL13_cover
    Check out latest newsletter
    IBS, Microbiota & Covid-19
    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographics
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese

    Browse the site

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographics
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    23.01.2023

    Idiopathic urethritis in men: new infectious etiologies?

    Read the article

    Impact of beer and non alcoholic comsumption on the gut microbiota

    By Pr. Bernd SchnablDivision of Gastroenterology, San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC), UC ...

    Find out more

    Skin Microbiota #17

    By Pr. Satu PekkalaAcademy of Finland Research Fellow, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of ...

    Find out more

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • Partnerships
      • Press room
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
      • Xpeer App
    • Useful documents
      • Infographics
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    Dermatology

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube

    © 2022 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Cookies Policy
    • Data protection policy
    • GTU
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    Biocodex logo