Abstract
Clostridium novyi-NT is an anaerobic bacterium that can infect hypoxic regions within experimental tumors. Because C. novyi-NT lyses red blood cells, we hypothesized that its membrane-disrupting properties could be exploited to enhance the release of liposome-encapsulated drugs within tumors. Here, we show that treatment of mice bearing large, established tumors with C. novyi-NT plus a single dose of liposomal doxorubicin often led to eradication of the tumors. The bacterial factor responsible for the enhanced drug release was identified as a previously unrecognized protein termed liposomase. This protein could potentially be incorporated into diverse experimental approaches for the specific delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1308-1311 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 314 |
Issue number | 5803 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 24 2006 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General