E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes aren't the first things you think about when you think about curing disease. But to some researchers at this year's ASM conference, these bugs are exactly what the doctor ordered. The Therapeutic Use of Genetically Engineered Bacteria symposium highlighted new ideas from biotech and academia that call for the use of pathogenic bacteria to fight many diseases, including cancer. Dirk Brockstedt from Aduro BioTech in California presented his company's attempt at turning Listeria into an effective cancer vaccine.