
Could tweaking the microbiome optimize the way immunotherapy works in cancer patients?
A recent study from MD Anderson Cancer Center found that a microbiome padded with specific “good bacteria” could improve the efficacy of certain immunotherapies.
MD Anderson is building on that finding, collaborating with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Cambridge, Mass., biotech Seres Therapeutics to develop a cancer-targeting bacterial cocktail. The idea is to develop a microbiome-altering drug that helps buoy the body’s immune response, helping immunotherapy take effect.