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<p>Cancer kills over 8 million people every year. That's the entire population of Switzerland!</p> | <p>Cancer kills over 8 million people every year. That's the entire population of Switzerland!</p> | ||
− | <p>We need more specific therapies because current approaches result in many side-effects. Thats why we invented CATE | + | <p>We need more specific therapies because current approaches result in many side-effects. Thats why we invented CATE, the first all-in-one |
living cancer therapeutic with an integrated two-step safety mechanism.</p> | living cancer therapeutic with an integrated two-step safety mechanism.</p> | ||
− | <p>That's why we created CATE: Cancer-Targeting E. coli.</p> | + | <p>That's why we created CATE: Cancer-Targeting <i>E. coli</i>.</p> |
<p><a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:ETH_Zurich/Background">Learn more</a></p> | <p><a href="https://2017.igem.org/Team:ETH_Zurich/Background">Learn more</a></p> | ||
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Revision as of 09:08, 19 October 2017
Cancer kills over 8 million people every year. That's the entire population of Switzerland! We need more specific therapies because current approaches result in many side-effects. Thats why we invented CATE, the first all-in-one
living cancer therapeutic with an integrated two-step safety mechanism. That's why we created CATE: Cancer-Targeting E. coli. CATE consists of the non-pathogenic bacterium E. coli Nissle that has the intrinsic ability to home specifically in tumors. CATE is administered intravenously, travels through the blood and colonizes tumors where the bacteria form a highly dense layer between the live and dead zone of the tumor The high density of bacterial cells and the overproduction of lactate by the tumor together activate the first steps of CATE. CATE consists of the non-pathogenic bacterium E. coli Nissle that has the intrinsic ability to home specifically in tumors.
We are engineering E. coli Nissle to carry a MRI contrast and a cytotoxic agent so it can deliver both components to tumor sites.
We are engineering E. coli Nissle to carry a MRI contrast and a cytotoxic agent so it can deliver both components to tumor sites.