BBSRC Funded Project
Exciting new BBSRC funded project announced at SBRC-Nottingham: “ABSCICS: Applied Bacterial Spore Control in Industrial and Clinical Settings”
Using bacteria to treat cancer is our goal says Dr Raquel Mesquita Rodrigues, a PDRA at the SBRC-Nottingham. Dr Rodrigues’ new research project, funded by the BBSRC focuses on producing bacterial strains to form highly resistant spores to deliver therapeutics to tumours.
Clostridium species have the potential to be used in several relevant applications, from cancer treatment to solvent production. These species can produce spores, highly resistant structures that allow long-term storage and facilitate the use of anaerobic Clostridia in a clinical setting. However, if these organisms are genetically modified, release of spores to the environment is a serious concern. Furthermore, spore contamination of industrial bioreactors is challenging and difficult to eliminate.
This project aims to address those issues by generating conditionally sporulating strains. Such strains would be able to sporulate in the presence of inducers, but their sporulation ability would be completely abolished in the absence of those inducers. This tight control of sporulation will be highly beneficial to ensure the safe and easy use of Clostridium in clinical and industrial settings.