GCSP research stipend | Fall 2019

Using Salmonella as a pH-modulator to Explore the Tumor Microenvironment

Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation are expensive, painful, and often ineffective, as they compromise the patient’s immune system. Genetically-modified Salmonella typhimurium (GMS) strains, however, have been proven to suppress tumor growth. The GMS then undergo programmed lysis, optimally leaving no trace of salmonella in the body. Additionally, constant culturing of S. typhimurium changes the pH of the culture medium. The objective of this research is to investigate using salmonella to induce changes in the typically acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) pH, ideally hindering tumor growth. Future studies involve utilizing salmonella to treat a multitude of cancers.