Department of Microbiology & Immunology Seminar

Speaker: Amiran Dzutsev, MD, PhD
Staff Scientist, Cancer and Inflammation Program, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Bethesda, MD

Title: “Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Cancer Therapy and Gut Microbiome”

Abstract:
Immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitors are the best new hope for cancer therapy. However, a large proportion of patients do not benefit from them. In an effort to find and mitigate the obstacles to increased efficacy, we and others have identified the host microbiome as an important variable. Fecal microbial transplantation from non-responder patients reverses non-responder status in almost half of immunotherapy-resistant melanoma patients. Big data analysis suggests an interplay between specific microbiome factors and the host immune system and provides a path forward for designing new clinical protocols for immunotherapy of cancer patients.