Use of in vitro co-culture models to inform bacterial engineering for the treatment of solid tumours

Engineered bacterial therapeutics are emerging as promising candidates for the treatment of solid cancers. However, despite effectively reducing tumour burden in different pre-clinical models, these “smart bugs” are yet to convincingly translate this efficacy to cancer treatment in humans. Here, we highlight key features of in vitro co-culture methods and how they can be used to investigate bacterial behaviour and guide the rational engineering of more effective anti-cancer bacterial therapeutics.