Bacteria in the Gut Modulates Melanoma.

• Position: IMMUNOTHERAPY - Brief article

Bacteria that live in the human digestive tract can influence how metastatic melanoma cancer responds to immunotherapy, opening a new avenue for research to improve treatment, reports a team led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

"You can change your microbiome; it's really not that difficult; so we think these findings open up huge new opportunities," says study leader Jennifer Wargo, associate professor of surgical oncology and genomic medicine. "Our studies in patients and subsequent research really drive home that our gut microbiomes modulate both systemic and anti-tumor immunity."

Wargo and colleagues are working with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy to develop a...