Programmed bacteria for intracellular delivery of viral RNA

This technology is a bacterial strain genetically programmed to deliver and specifically activate an oncolytic virus inside tumor cells to enable targeted, immune-evasive cancer therapy.

Unmet Need: Viral therapy for immune-evasive and poorly accessible tumors

Therapeutic delivery directly inside tumor cells would greatly expand the number of treatable targets, as many pathways that regulate cancer progression are intracellular and difficult to access. Bacterial therapies use bacteria as a self-replicating vehicle to deliver anti-cancer therapeutics intracellularly, yet current methods have been mainly limited to the delivery of protein cargo rather than nucleic acids for viral replication.

The Technology: Abacterial carrier for intracellular delivery of viral RNA within tumor cells

This technology uses a genetically programmed bacterial strain of Salmonella typhimurium that can carry viral nucleic acids into the cytoplasm of cancer cells. Using an engineered bacterial vector containing a regulatory gene causing bacterial and vacuolar lysis, viral RNA can be transcribed and delivered into cancer cells to achieve cancer-killing effects. This approach can be used to initiate the delivery and replication of truncated viral RNAs, enabling the production of a wide range of therapeutic proteins. It can also be used to deliver full-length viral RNA genomes capable of spreading and killing neighboring tumor cells. This cooperative bacterial and viral approach enables the delivery of a wider range of therapeutic molecules into cells via bacteria.

This technology has been validated in vitro with human cancer cell lines and in vivo using mouse models.

Applications:

  • Cancer therapeutics
  • Targeted drug delivery
  • Immunotherapy
  • Gene therapy
  • Tumor imaging and tracking
  • Vaccination
  • Orally available probiotics
  • Cell lysis agents
  • Virus activating agent for research

Advantages:

  • Versatility for various therapeutic cargoes, including large viral RNAs
  • Specific targeting towards tumor
  • Biosafety
  • High efficacy in reducing tumors
  • Cooperative RNA/bacterial approach

Lead Inventor:

Tal Danino, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending (WO/2024/254419)

Related Publications:

Tech Ventures Reference: