{
  "abstract": "Metabolic reprogramming is a defining hallmark of malignant transformation, and tumor-specific amino acid addiction has emerged as a promising therapeutic axis for precision oncology. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive head and neck malignancy marked by limited curative options, frequent recurrence, and poor long-term survival. Cumulative multi-omics and clinical evidence consistently confirm widespread methionine addiction across OSCC lesions, yet conventional systemic methionine restriction strategies are hampered by severe off-target organ toxicity and insufficient tumor selectivity. Engineered attenuated Salmonella typhimurium strain SGN1 represents a tumor microenvironment-homing live biotherapeutic platform that achieves localized intratumoral methionine degradation with minimal systemic perturbation. Preclinical data across immunocompetent murine models and patient-derived organoids demonstrate robust anti-OSCC activity alongside controllable antibiotic-mediated clearance and broad systemic biosafety. This Commentary contextualizes SGN1 within the broader landscape of microbe-mediated amino acid depletion therapies, systematically dissects the core metabolic mechanisms underpinning OSCC methionine addiction, elaborates preclinical efficacy and safety profiles of SGN1, expands critical discussion of translational bottlenecks, and outlines structured clinical development frameworks for live bacterial metabolic therapeutics. By integrating comparative analysis of arginine and tryptophan-targeted microbial interventions, this work provides balanced, forward-looking insights to advance stratified, minimally invasive precision treatment for methionine-addicted OSCC and other solid tumors.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Cancer Research Institute, The Third Teaching Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Translational Biomedical Engineering, No. 789 Soochow East Street, Urumqi, 830011, China. lichenxi@xjmu.edu.cn.",
    "Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Oncology & Surgery, School / Hospital of Stomatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, National Clinical Medical Research Institute, Stomatological Research Institute of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830054, China. lichenxi@xjmu.edu.cn.",
    "Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China. lichenxi@xjmu.edu.cn.",
    "Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China. lichenxi@xjmu.edu.cn.",
    "Department of Preventive Dentistry, School / Hospital of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830054, China.",
    "Division of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Urumqi, 830092, China.",
    "Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Oncology & Surgery, School / Hospital of Stomatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, National Clinical Medical Research Institute, Stomatological Research Institute of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830054, China.",
    "College of General Practice, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830017, China.",
    "Division of Medical Affairs, The Third Teaching Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, No. 789 Soochow East Street, Urumqi, 830011, China. niyuchen90@163.com."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Chenxi Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1443-4769"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Yan Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Zhengye Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Zhongcheng Gong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Yuchen Ni"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/232cg8dt5w6hd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12967-026-08710-0",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13721563",
  "id": "232cg8dt5w6hd",
  "issns": [
    "1479-5876"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958387",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1305|Cancer Research and Treatments"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7172264032",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13721563?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13721563",
  "pmid": "42958387",
  "published": "2026-08-03",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/232cg8dt5w6hd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:47Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42958387",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958387"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1305|Cancer Research and Treatments",
      "subfield": "systems-synthetic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Methionine addiction in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a metabolic vulnerability targeted by engineered bacteria.",
  "title_text": "Methionine addiction in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a metabolic vulnerability targeted by engineered bacteria.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T00:20:47Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/232cg8dt5w6hd",
  "venue": "Journal of translational medicine",
  "versions": []
}