Understanding and Improving Bacterial Cancer Therapy: from stem cell invasion to T cell dysfunction

Bacterial cancer therapy (BCT) is a promising therapeutic for solid tumours. Salmonella enterica Typhimurium (STm) is well-studied amongst bacterial vectors due to advantages for genetic modification and metabolic adaptation within tumours. Yet mechanisms of STm’s anti-tumour and immunotherapeutic effects are poorly understood.

Our lab aims to dissect the complex tumour–microbe–immune interactions in order to identify ways to improve BCT with further genetic modifications or co-therapies. I will discuss recent work from the lab where we uncover the mechanisms of STm targeting stem (stem-like) cells within tumours as well as the mechanism behind T cell suppression in BCT and how we can reverse this.