TED-Ed: Hacking bacteria to fight cancer | Tal Danino

The video explores the historical discovery by William Coley, who found that bacterial infections could stimulate the immune system to fight cancer. This led to the development of using bacteria to deliver drugs directly to tumors. Synthetic biology now allows for programming bacteria to target tumors specifically, using biological circuits like the synchronized lysis circuit (SLC) to deliver drugs effectively. This approach has shown promise in trials, not only treating cancer but also stimulating the immune system. The potential future applications of programmable bacteria include disease monitoring and personalized medicine.

Explain how synthetic biologists program bacteria to respond to tumors.

What potential future applications do programmable bacteria have beyond fighting cancer?