Engineered Salmonella that degrades solid tumor collagen
This technology involves bacteria — specifically a well-studied strain of Salmonella — that have been genetically engineered to carry an enzyme called collagenase, which breaks down collagen. Solid tumors are notoriously hard to treat because they are surrounded by a dense protein matrix (largely collagen) that blocks drugs from penetrating. By using Salmonella, which naturally seeks out and colonizes the oxygen-poor interior of tumors, as a delivery vehicle, the engineered bacteria can degrade that collagen barrier from within, potentially making tumors far more accessible to chemotherapy or other cancer treatments. The approach combines two known strategies — bacterial cancer therapy and enzymatic tumor remodeling — into a single engineered organism.
What you could build
A live bacterial therapeutic, administered systemically or intratumorally, that could be used as a sensitizing agent before or alongside conventional chemotherapy; primary buyers would be oncology-focused biotech and pharmaceutical companies developing combination cancer therapies.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based biotech startups, contract research organizations (CROs) near the Northern Virginia/DC corridor, or oncology programs at academic medical centers such as UVA Health could be natural partners or licensees.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Bahareh BEHKAM, Eric LEAMAN
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed January 12, 2024
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20240252553A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology. Email us for an introduction prosim@harbor.capital.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.