Tumor-targeted bioluminescent bacteria offer potential for targeted cancer drug delivery

Tumor-targeted bioluminescent bacteria offer potential for targeted cancer drug delivery.

Tumor-targeted bioluminescent bacteria have been shown for the first time to provide accurate 3-D images of tumors in mice, further advancing the , according to a study published in the Jan. 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

 The specially engineered probiotic bacteria, like those found in many yogurts, were intravenously injected into mice with tumors, after which the researchers took full body bioluminescent images. The 3-D images revealed information about the number and location of the bacteria, to the level of precisely revealing where within the tumor the bacteria were living, providing much more information on the interaction of bacteria and tumors than was previously available using similar two-dimensional imaging methods.