New Cyanobacteria Study Findings Have Been Reported from Tianjin University (Engineered Cyanobacteria-based Self-supplying Photosensitizer Nano-biosystem for Photodynamic Therapy).

A study conducted at Tianjin University in China has reported new findings on the use of engineered cyanobacteria for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Cyanobacteria have shown promise in oxygen-associated therapies due to their oxygen production capability and biocompatibility. However, the limited loading capacity of photosensitizer on cyanobacteria has been a challenge. To overcome this limitation, researchers developed an engineered cyanobacteria (ECyano) that synthesized and accumulated 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) in tumors, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) for tumor killing. They also attached manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoparticles to ECyano, creating a novel nano-biosystem called ECyano@MnO2. The combination of ECyano and MnO2 achieved PDT-immunotherapy, suppressing tumors by 79.34% in vivo. This research provides a promising strategy against tumors and opens the door to microbial PDT. [Extracted from the article]