Microbial-based therapy of cancer: current progress and future prospects.

ABSTRACT: The use of bacteria in the regression of certain forms of cancer has been recognized for more than a century. Much effort, therefore, has been spent over the years in developing wild-type or modified bacterial strains to treat cancer. However, their use at the dose required for therapeutic efficacy has always been associated with toxicity problems and other deleterious effects. Recently, the old idea of using bacteria in the treatment of cancer has attracted considerable interest and new genetically engineered attenuated strains as well as microbial compounds that might have specific anticancer activity without side effects are being evaluated for their ability to act as new anticancer agents. This involves the use of attenuated bacterial strains and expressing foreign genes that encode th

SUBMITTER: Bernardes N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3026423 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature