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Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells: Using Bacteria for Therapeutics

Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells: Using Bacteria for Therapeutics. Leeza Shashkova 30 July 2013. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide One solution was developed by synthetic biologists: engineer a bacteria that destroys cancer cells.

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Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells: Using Bacteria for Therapeutics

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  1. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells: Using Bacteria for Therapeutics Leeza Shashkova 30 July 2013

  2. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide • One solution was developed by synthetic biologists: engineer a bacteria that destroys cancer cells

  3. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • Biologists developed bacteria that destroy tumor cells and do not harm other tissue • Bacteria respond to hypoxic environment created by dense tumor cells by invading cell • Can invade HeLa (epithelial), HepG2 (carcinoma), and U2OS cells (osteosarcoma)

  4. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • Bacteria can be constructed with various components • When expressed, the inv gene (from the Y. pseudotuberculosis bacteria) produces invasin • Invasin is a protein that enables bacteria to invade mammalian cells

  5. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • The inv gene can be paired with a few other components: the lux operon, the fhdF promoter, or the araBAD promoter • Lux operon is a quorum sensing circuit from the Vibrio fischeri bacteria, a family of bacteria that responded to high cell density

  6. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • The fhdF promoter is responsive to hypoxic environments • The araBAD promoter is responsive to arabinose • Lux operon, fhdF promoter and araBAD promoter are all well equipped to work in this bacteria, because they are sense characteristics of cancerous tissue

  7. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • Once inside of the cell, the bacteria release cytotoxins to destroy the cancer cell

  8. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • Bacterial treatment of cancer is safer and more effective than other treatment options like chemotherapy • Bacteria are a more accurate treatment for the patient, because they release the correct dose and target the specific area

  9. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • University of Pennsylvania’s iGEM team designed a bacteria that would destroy cancer cells when exposed to blue light

  10. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells • Bacterial therapeutics has not been widely received by the public yet • Artemisinin has already been introduced to the market as an affordable cure for malaria • With more education about the benefits of genetic engineering, we may be someday treating diseases with engineered bacteria

  11. Bacterial Invasion of Cancer Cells Bibliography • http://www.technologyreview.com/news/405899/tumor-killing-bacteria/ • http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsstatistics/ • http://bmes.org/history • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC205046/ • http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/spine/clinical_trials/chordoma_study_announcement.pdf • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9338007 • http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/8867865/reload=0;jsessionid=WMgdnfeuuANQzxhaYg6q.20 • http://www.jbiomedsci.com/content/17/1/21 • http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905201213.htm • http://www.jbiomedsci.com/content/17/1/21/figure/F1?highres=y

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