A bacterium-based fluorescent technology that illuminates only the cancerous areas inside the body has been introduced by domestic researchers. This is expected to enable precise cancer surgeries.
Senior researcher Seungbeom Seo of the BioNics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), along with senior researcher Sehun Kim of the Chemical and Biological Convergence Research Center and Professor Hyojin Lee of Chungnam National University Hospital, announced on the 18th that they developed a next-generation surgical imaging technology that uses beneficial bacteria targeting cancer to show the location of cancer in real-time through fluorescent signals.
This technology helps to precisely excise cancer by illuminating cancerous areas as vividly as neon lights during surgery. Accurately removing tumors is crucial in cancer surgery. However, in reality, the 'positive margin rate,' where cancer cells remain at the resection boundary, is still relatively high. For breast cancer, the positive margin rate can reach up to 35%. This is because it is challenging to completely identify the location and boundaries of cancer using only pre-surgical imaging or ultrasounds.
The research team designed special bacteria that emit fluorescence only in cancerous tissues, enabling real-time identification of the location and boundaries of cancer during surgery. The fluorescent signals can last for more than 72 hours within the body and illuminate only the cancer areas even among complex organs, enhancing surgical accuracy. This aids surgeons in identifying cancer with the naked eye, effectively reducing the burden of surgery.
Unlike existing contrast agents that need to be developed separately for each type of cancer, this technology recognizes the common hypoxic state and immune evasion characteristics of cancer tissues, allowing for broad application across various solid tumors. The brightness of the fluorescence is approximately five times higher than existing methods and can utilize the near-infrared spectrum to be compatible with current surgical endoscopes.
Based on this technology, the research team plans to expand it into an integrated cancer treatment platform that encompasses diagnosis, surgery, and treatment using bacteria. This bacterium has the characteristic of accurately locating cancer tissues, making it usable for treatment technologies that deliver anticancer agents or therapeutic proteins.
Senior researcher Seungbeom Seo noted, "This study is significant because it allows the location and boundaries of cancer to be accurately confirmed in real-time during surgery by designing bacteria to autonomously seek out cancer and emit fluorescent signals." He added, "It is applicable to various solid tumors, not limited to specific cancer types, and could set a new standard for precision surgical imaging technologies in the future."
References
Advanced Materials (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504389