The recent scientific advancements have aroused the attention towards the
role of microbes in the therapeutic management of various maladies that have
transformed the pharmaceutical research. Although certain bacteria are widely known
to cause cancer, recent research has shown exciting outcomes signifying the role of
bacteria as an effective therapeutic agent for cancer. Different bacterial strains have
been scrutinized for their inherent potentials to colonize the tumors environment and
subsequent oncolytic properties in animal models. Moreover, their inherent anti-cancer
properties can be boosted through genetic engineering, which allows the bacterial
species to transfer the therapeutic molecules into tumor cells. During the previous few
years, the studies have focused on the use of genetically modified bacteria for cancer
therapy with an emphasis on blocking tumor angiogenesis. Although the studies
regarding the microbial-based anti-angiogenesis therapy for cancer management are
quite a few, it seems to be an innovative and attractive approach, particularly for solid
tumors which usually possess increased vascularization. This chapter aimed to provide
recent information relating to the candidates for anti-angiogenesis therapy, including
angiostatin, tumstatin, endostatin, interleukin-12, metargidin peptide with a focus on
recent developments in the newly identified field of microbe-based angiogenesis
suppression. The advanced approaches for the use of modified bacteria as anti-cancer
therapeutics have been discussed, particularly the DNA vaccination, bactofection,
alternative gene therapy, and RNA interference with an emphasis on their antiangiogenesis
potential.
Keywords: Angiogenesis, Gene therapy, RNA Interference, Tumor vaccines,
Vascularization.
