Engineered probiotics for tumor-targeted combination chemoimmunotherapy.

Engineered Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 delivers tumor-specific chemoimmunotherapy, achieving potent antitumor effects and systemic immune memory in mouse models.

• Why it matters: Effective tumor-targeted delivery and sustained activation of chemoimmunotherapy agents are major challenges limiting current cancer treatments, necessitating innovative solutions for improved efficacy.
• What they did: A bacterial platform was engineered to express cytosine deaminase for prodrug activation and produce IL-15 superagonist plus PD-L1 nanobody, tested in murine tumor models with 3 key components.
• The result: This integrated approach enhanced immune cell activation, reduced immunosuppressive responses, and induced durable systemic immunity, offering a promising framework for spatially controlled cancer therapy.