The Babak Lab Spotlights Synthetic Bacterial-Viral System for Targeted Cancer Therapy
The Babak Lab shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Scientific Wednesdays: Bacteria + Virus = One Smart Cancer Attack
A groundbreaking study in Nature Biomedical Engineering (15 Aug 2025) introduces CAPPSID — a synthetic consortium in which engineered Salmonella typhimurium delivers and activates an oncolytic virus (Senecavirus A) inside tumors.
Study Focus
Create a cooperative bacterial-viral system to evade immune defenses, deliver therapeutic virus RNA, and trigger tumor cell lysis, all while maintaining safety via bacterial control.
Key Insights
- Bacteria encapsulate viral RNA, stealthily bypassing anti-viral antibodies and entering tumors
- Once inside tumor cells, the virus is activated only in the presence of a bacterial protease-ensuring localized maturation and limiting spread
- Demonstrated complete tumor regression in immune-competent mouse models without systemic toxicity
Conclusion
CAPPSID represents the first engineered partnership between bacteria and an oncolytic virus-marking a major leap in microbial cancer therapies.
Image generated using Sora by OpenAI.
A link to the full article can be found in the comments section.”
Maria Babak, Head of The Babak Lab and Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong, shared The Babak Lab’s post, adding:
“Really interesting approach using bacteria to deliver and activate a virus right inside tumors could be a smart way to target cancer more precisely.”
More posts featuring Maria Babak on OncoDaily.
-
Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
-
ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
-
ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
-
Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
-
OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
-
Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023