journal article·2026-01

Bacterial Armory: Engineering Dual Photosensitized Bacteria for a Triple‐Modal Therapy on Tumors

Xiaobing Du, Guangbo Kang, Lina Wang, Zhichao Gong, Xu Jiang, Jiachen Pan, Xiaoying Li, Danping Zhang, He Huang, Shuxian Meng

Small· Volume 22· Issue 5
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Bacteria‐mediated cancer therapy offers great promise for tumor targeting and immune activation but faces challenges of limited potency and biosafety. Here, a reinforced platform, E@PB, is developed by coating E. coli Nissle 1917 with polydopamine (PDA) and a cationic BODIPY‐based photosensitizer (BOD‐QAS). This dual‐photosensitized system integrates photothermal and photodynamic modalities while maintaining bacterial viability. The PDA coating enhances tumor colonization and immune stimulation through 808 nm laser‐induced hyperthermia, whereas BOD‐QAS enables 660 nm‐triggered reactive oxygen species generation for tumor cell apoptosis and bacterial growth regulation. The photosensitizer shell also provides real‐time fluorescence imaging, improving therapeutic precision. A two‐stage “green‐to‐red light” strategy allows spatiotemporal control of bacterial activity, maximizing both efficacy and safety. E@PB accumulates rapidly at tumor sites within 8 h and remains for extended periods, enabling sustained therapeutic action. In vivo evaluation demonstrates an 89.8% reduction in tumor volume, highlighting the potential of this triple‐modal system to synergize phototherapy and immune activation in bacteria‐based cancer treatment.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics · Cancer Research and Treatments · Photodynamic Therapy Research Studies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University Tianjin 300350 P. R. China

School of Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education) Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Tianjin University Tianjin 300350 P. R. China

Oilfield Chemical R&D Institute China Oilfield Services Co., Ltd. Tianjin 300459 P. R. China

References (29)

Show source-provided references
1. 10.3322/caac.2183410.3322/caac.21834 ↗
2. 10.1016/j.cell.2011.02.01310.1016/j.cell.2011.02.013 ↗
3. 10.1002/adfm.20180468810.1002/adfm.201804688 ↗
4. 10.1039/D0CS00215A10.1039/D0CS00215A ↗
5. 10.1016/j.ccr.2022.21490810.1016/j.ccr.2022.214908 ↗
6. 10.1039/C2CS35216H10.1039/C2CS35216H ↗
7. 10.1016/j.cclet.2019.08.02810.1016/j.cclet.2019.08.028 ↗
8. 10.1016/j.ccr.2019.21302410.1016/j.ccr.2019.213024 ↗
9. 10.1016/j.ccr.2019.04.00110.1016/j.ccr.2019.04.001 ↗
10. 10.1002/advs.20220564110.1002/advs.202205641 ↗
11. 10.1038/s41571-024-00908-910.1038/s41571-024-00908-9 ↗
12. 10.1016/j.tips.2022.02.00210.1016/j.tips.2022.02.002 ↗
13. 10.18632/oncotarget.2048610.18632/oncotarget.20486 ↗
14. 10.1038/s41568-018-0070-z10.1038/s41568-018-0070-z ↗
15. 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c0403710.1021/acs.nanolett.1c04037 ↗
16. 10.1002/anie.20231015810.1002/anie.202310158 ↗
17. 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.11378710.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113787 ↗
18. 10.1038/s41378-024-00743-z10.1038/s41378-024-00743-z ↗
19. 10.1039/D1TB01155C10.1039/D1TB01155C ↗
20. 10.1016/S0022-1139(03)00193-310.1016/S0022-1139(03)00193-3 ↗
21. 10.1039/C3CS60463B10.1039/C3CS60463B ↗
22. 10.1002/adhm.20230343210.1002/adhm.202303432 ↗
23. 10.1039/C5OB02477C10.1039/C5OB02477C ↗
24. 10.1016/j.copbio.2015.03.01810.1016/j.copbio.2015.03.018 ↗
25. 10.1039/D3CS00369H10.1039/D3CS00369H ↗
26. 10.1021/acsnano.9b0443610.1021/acsnano.9b04436 ↗
27. 10.3390/cancers1408204410.3390/cancers14082044 ↗
28. 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c0013510.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00135 ↗
29. 10.1038/s41579-019-0201-x10.1038/s41579-019-0201-x ↗