Synchronized cycles of bacterial lysis for in vivo delivery.

ABSTRACT: The widespread view of bacteria as strictly pathogenic has given way to an appreciation of the prevalence of some beneficial microbes within the human body. It is perhaps inevitable that some bacteria would evolve to preferentially grow in environments that harbor disease and thus provide a natural platform for the development of engineered therapies. Such therapies could benefit from bacteria that are programmed to limit bacterial growth while continually producing and releasing cytotoxic agents in situ. Here we engineer a clinically relevant bacterium to lyse synchronously ata threshold population density and to release genetically encoded cargo. Following quorum lysis, a small number of surviving bacteria reseed the growing population, thus leading to pulsatile delivery cycles. We used

SUBMITTER: Din MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5048415 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature