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Bacterial therapies at the interface of synthetic biology and nanomedicine

Nature Reviews Bioengineering volume 2, pages 120–135 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Bacteria are emerging as living drugs to treat a broad range of disease indications. However, the inherent advantages of these replicating and immunostimulatory therapies also carry the potential for toxicity. Advances in synthetic biology and the integration of nanomedicine can address this challenge through the engineering of controllable systems that regulate spatial and temporal activation for improved safety and efficacy. Here, we review recent progress in nanobiotechnology-driven engineering of bacteria-based therapies, highlighting limitations and opportunities that will facilitate clinical translation.

Key points

  • Synthetic biology has brought about the rapid development of live bacteria-based therapeutics in the last two decades.

  • However, using live bacteria presents challenges for the translation of proof-of-concept work into the clinic.

  • The integration of synthetic biology and nanomedicine could overcome some of the challenges faced by bacterial therapy.

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Fig. 1: Challenges in delivery of bacterial therapy.
Fig. 2: Comparison between nanomedicine and bacteria-based therapy.
Fig. 3: Interface between nanomedicine and bacterial therapy.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Danino lab members, A. Sivan and R. L. Vincent, for their insightful discussions. T.D. discloses support for the publication of this work from NIH (R01CA249160). T.H. discloses support for the publication of this work from NIH (F99CA253756).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Jaeseung Hahn, Suwan Ding, Jongwon Im, Tetsuhiro Harimoto, Kam W. Leong & Tal Danino

  2. Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Kam W. Leong

  3. Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Tal Danino

  4. Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Tal Danino

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J.H. conducted the initial literature search and outlined the general manuscript format. J.H., S.D., J.I. and T.H. wrote the initial manuscript draft, with contributions from K.L. and T.D. All authors reviewed and critically revised all versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Hahn, J., Ding, S., Im, J. et al. Bacterial therapies at the interface of synthetic biology and nanomedicine. Nat Rev Bioeng 2, 120–135 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-023-00119-4

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