Engineered oncolytic bacteria have emerged as a promising therapeutic platform for precision cancer treatment, offering tumor-specific colonization, immune activation, and controllable therapeutic delivery. This review summarizes recent advances in the design and application of synthetic biological strategies that enhance bacterial precision, safety, and efficacy in tumor therapy. These strategies are categorized into three major regulatory modes: exogenous input–responsive gene circuits, autonomous bacterial signal–responsive gene circuits, and tumor microenvironment-responsive gene circuits.

Preclinical studies indicate that cavity-resident macrophages in the peritoneal and pleural spaces contribute to immunosuppression and cancer progression. While these macrophages typically accumulate on organ surfaces rather than deeply infiltrating into tissues, their behavior and function in tumors remains unclear.

Recent advances in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have led to improved patient outcomes, particularly for those with actionable gene mutations. 

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) arises from defective blood stem cells that progressively lose their normal functions. Japanese researchers have revealed how changes in chromatin accessibility—how DNA is packaged—reprogram these stem cells toward faulty myeloid gene activity. This shift disrupts the balance of blood cell development and drives disease progression. The team also developed a chromatin-based “progenitor score” that accurately reflects disease severity and predicts patient prognosis in MDS.

A new study published today in The Lancet showed a significant survival benefit for patients with oropharyngeal cancers who were treated with proton therapy (IMPT) compared to those treated with traditional radiation therapy (IMRT). The study, led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is the first to demonstrate a survival benefit for proton therapy.  

Cleveland Clinic researchers are presenting final Phase 1 data from their novel study of a vaccine aimed at preventing triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease.

 

The study team found that the investigational vaccine produced an immune response in the majority (74%) of all participants and was safe and well tolerated. They determined the maximum tolerated dose and described that side effects primarily consisted of mild skin inflammation at the injection site. The findings, which will inform the subsequent Phase 2 study, are being presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

An ECOG-ACRIN imaging study solves a long-standing gap in metastatic breast cancer research and care: accurately measuring treatment response in patients with bone metastases. This prospective, multicenter cancer clinical trial, called FEATURE (EA1183) validated FDG-PET/CT as an improved method for predicting treatment benefits in hormone receptor-positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer that has spread primarily or exclusively to the bones. These patients make up a large portion of individuals who are living with advanced breast cancer—yet are routinely excluded from clinical trials that rely on standard imaging-based assessments (i.e., RECIST 1.1). The study demonstrated that metabolic changes assessed by FDG-PET/CT accurately predicted progression-free survival as early as 12 weeks after treatment initiation. This trial represents a major advance in cancer imaging.