EnteroBiotix - Immuno Oncology Microbiome
Immuno-oncology exploits the mechanisms of the body’s own natural immune response, either by stimulating or suppressing it, to fight cancer.
Checkpoint inhibitor therapies targeting the CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 blockades have revolutionised the treatment of numerous cancers, including non-small cell lung carcinoma, melanoma and breast cancer (Ramos-Casals, et al. 2020).
However, as many as 40-85% of patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors do not experience clinical benefit.
Resistance, off-target toxicities and onset of immune-related Adverse Events (irAEs) indicate as-yet unmet challenges in cancer management (Das and Johnson, 2019).
Over the last decade, emerging evidence supports the development of ‘oncomicrobiotics’: a novel approach to enhance cancer therapy success using the gut microbiome.
Uncovering the role of the gut microbiome in both innate and adaptive immunity has a view to potentiate immunotherapy, augment patient response and improve quality of life.
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Improved tumour response to immunotherapies is observed in patients with greater gut microbiome diversity (Gopalakrishnan, et al., 2018).
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Delivery of IMT in anti-PD-1-refractory metastatic melanoma patients has demonstrated clinical benefit in first-in-human trials (Baruch, et al. 2021 and Davar, et al. 2021).
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Several studies are underway to establish safety and tolerability of IMT in checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. (Clinicaltrials.gov)
