National Sun Yat-sen University /  Prof. Che-Hsin Lee

•  Salmonella can actively and specifically target tumors.
•  Salmonella can target various solid tumor types and demonstrate therapeutic efficacy.
•  Salmonella can locate tumors deep within the body, including metastatic lesions.
•  Salmonella confers immunotherapeutic benefits.
•  Salmonella can be administered orally.

 Technology Introduction 

In recent years, a significant bottleneck in cancer therapy has been the challenge of specifically targeting tumor cells to enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse effects. Certain bacteria have been found to selectively home to tumors and suppress tumor growth. Our previous studies demonstrated that attenuated Salmonella carrying anticancer genes or therapeutic agents can effectively inhibit tumor progression. Notably, even attenuated Salmonella alone can suppress tumor growth and prolong survival. Beyond serving as a novel tumor-targeting therapeutic strategy, attenuated Salmonella also enhances host immune responses to combat cancer cooperatively, representing a new concept in immunotherapy.

▲Caption: The advantages of using attenuated Salmonella as a therapeutic vector include the following: Salmonella's motility enables it to target tumors and penetrate deep, hard-to-treat regions specifically. It can carry therapeutic genes or tumor-killing agents to enhance antitumor efficacy. Its facultative anaerobic nature allows it to target even small tumors. Moreover, this approach offers a relatively low barrier to use, reducing the financial burden of cancer treatment.

 Application Examples 

In murine tumor models, the bacteria can target tumors, suppress tumor growth, and activate host immunity. In xenograft models of human lung cancer and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, they also effectively inhibit tumor progression, and their safety has been demonstrated even in immunodeficient mice.

 Related Links 

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 Patent Name and Number 

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 Industry-Academia / Tech Transfer Partner 

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 Honors and Awards  

Lee CH (2018). Award-Wu-Da-You Memorial Award sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

 Technical Contact  

Industrial Liaison Office, National Sun Yat-sen University
Tel: +886 7-5250165
Email: gloria@mail.nsysu.edu.tw