{"id":"CU26149","slug":"engineered-bacteria-for-cancer--CU26149","source":{"id":"CU26149","dataset":"techtransfer","title":"Engineered bacteria for cancer treatment","description_":"<p>This technology is an engineered bacterial strain with enhanced tumor colonization for targeted therapeutic delivery.  </p>\r\r<h2>Unmet Need: Effective cancer therapy delivery</h2>\r\r<p>Despite increasing use of immunotherapy across multiple types of cancer, overall patient response rates remain low due to immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments (TMEs). Hypoxic and immunosuppressive TMEs prevent immune cell infiltration into tumors to allow for tumor clearance. Bacteria have been proposed as treatment options due to their ability to survive in anoxic environments; however, their clinical use is hampered by safety concerns. </p>\r\r<h2>The Technology: Tumor colonizing bacteria for enhanced cancer therapy delivery</h2>\r\r<p>This technology is an engineered strain of <i>E. coli</i> that has enhanced tumor colonization. Using a high-throughput genetic screen, key metabolic adaptation genes that drive bacterial intratumoral fitness were identified and integrated into a single bacterial strain. These bacteria are engineered to align with the metabolites available in the TME to promote tumor colonization and persistence. The tumor-specific colonization allows for a safer, more effective method of delivering cancer therapeutics to tumors.</p>\r\r<p>This technology has been tested in mouse models. </p>\r\r<h2>Applications:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>Immunotherapy for cancer treatment</li>\r<li>Cancer therapy delivery mechanism</li>\r<li>Research tool for tumor microenvironment research</li>\r</ul>\r\r<h2>Advantages:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>Targets tumor colonization</li>\r<li>Optimized for intratumoral fitness</li>\r<li>Enhances delivery of therapeutic payloads</li>\r</ul>\r\r<h2>Lead Inventor:</h2>\r\r<p><a href=\"https://microbiology.columbia.edu/faculty-nicholas-arpaia\">Nicholas Arpaia, Ph.D.</a></p>\r\r<h2>Patent Information:</h2>\r\r<p>Patent Pending</p>\r\r<h2>Related Publications:</h2>\r\r<h2>Tech Ventures Reference:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li><p>IR CU26149</p></li>\r<li><p>Licensing Contact: <a href=\"mailto:techtransfer@columbia.edu\">Cynthia Lang</a> </p></li>\r</ul>\r","tags":["Escherichia coli","Immunosuppression","Immunotherapy","Tumor microenvironment","White blood cell"],"file_number":"CU26149","collections":[],"meta_description":"Engineered E. coli targets tumors, enhancing colonization and delivery of cancer therapeutics, addressing immunosuppressive microenvironments.","apriori_judge_output":"{\"scores\":{\"novelty\":4.0,\"potential_impact\":4.0,\"readiness\":3.0,\"scalability\":3.0,\"timeliness\":3.0},\"weighted_score\":3.2,\"risks\":[\"Biocontainment and safety concerns for engineered bacteria in humans\",\"Translational gap from mouse to human efficacy\",\"Regulatory hurdles for live bacterial therapies\",\"Potential off-target colonization and ecological impact\"],\"one_sentence_take\":\"Strong novelty and potential impact with a clear preclinical path, but translational and safety/regulatory hurdles limit readiness and scalability in the near term.\"}","inventors":["Nicholas Arpaia","Noah Chen","Tal Danino"],"manager":"Cynthia Lang","depts":["Biomedical Engineering","Microbiology"],"divs":["Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC)","Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)"],"date_released":"2026-05-15"},"highlight":{},"matched_queries":null,"score":0.0}