| Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer that has been associated with very high mortality rates, since an effective targeted therapy has not yet been developed to treat this type of cancer. One possible treatment suggested in this report, involves utilizing the cytotoxic properties of one of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors, exoenzyme S, on cancer cells. P. aeruginosa is a bacterial species often present in low quantities in the human body and has been associated with severe illnesses when present in high amounts. The work in this report showed that the secretion from P. aeruginosa are capable of killing TNBC cells at high concentrations after 72 hours of exposure. We were able to further show the killing of TNBC cells due to the show the development of an expression plasmid containing the exoS gene, as well as the successful transformation of Escherichia coli M15[PREP4] host cells. These processes involved easy to operate techniques such as PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis, and cloning kits. Therefore, the ability to target TNBC using our developed method presents itself as a potential cost effective and quick treatment. |
