We can use bacteria to detect cancer (and maybe treat it)

Title:
We can use bacteria to detect cancer (and maybe treat it)
Speaker:
Tal Danino
Description:

Liver cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to detect, but synthetic biologist Tal Danino had a left-field thought: What if we could create a probiotic, edible bacteria that was "programmed" to find liver tumors? His insight exploits something we're just beginning to understand about bacteria: their power of quorum sensing, or doing something together once they reach critical mass. Danino, a TED Fellow, explains how quorum sensing works — and how clever bacteria working together could someday change cancer treatment.

more » « less
Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TEDTalks
Duration:
04:11
Format: HTML5
Primary
Original