Microbes in medicine: Yeast as a mobile, miniature medicine factory

Microbes are living things, like us - they live on and in and around us. As well as learning more and more how we co-live with them, scientists have now also figured out how to use microbes as tools.

In this episode,  Alex and Merel explain one way in which microbes - in particular yeast, a type of fungus - can be used as a tool for medicine. We break down a scientific study in which scientists experimented with using yeast as a way to deliver cancer therapeutics to the right part of the body. The idea was to use yeast as a sort of mobile, mini-factory for producing the medicine, so that the medicine could be delivered at the right place at the right time. Interesting, right? Let's dive in!

Citation for the paper we discuss:

Rebeck et al. A yeast-based oral therapeutic delivers immune checkpoint inhibitors to reduce intestinal tumor burden. Cell Chem Biol. 2025 Jan 16;32(1):98-110.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.10.013. Epub 2024 Nov 20. PMID: 39571582; PMCID: PMC11741927.