Antibiotics, mouth microbes, and immune changes in throat (oropharyngeal) cancer
Official title: Immunological changes associated with antibiotic use in oropharyngeal cancer
Funded at University of Puerto Rico Med Sciences · NIH-11332610 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether taking antibiotics changes mouth bacteria and immune responses in people with HPV-related oropharyngeal (throat) cancer and in HPV-positive women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Puerto Rico Med Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Juan, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $309,292 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM156713-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11332610 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer or women known to carry high-risk HPV who can provide saliva samples or share banked saliva.
✕Less likely to help
People without HPV-related throat disease, those unwilling to provide saliva, or those not exposed to antibiotics are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
Researchers will use animal models to compare how oral versus topical tetracycline (a common preoperative antibiotic) changes cancer treatment responses and the microbes and immune cells inside tumors. They will measure intratumoral microbial diversity and immune markers in those preclinical models. The team will also recruit women with high-risk HPV infection to provide saliva for immune cell profiling, cytokine testing, and microbiome (16S) sequencing, and will analyze existing banked saliva samples. Immune and microbial profiles will be compared between people who took antibiotics and those who did not.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help guide antibiotic use around throat cancer care by showing whether antibiotics harm protective immune responses in the mouth.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked antibiotics, gut microbiota, and worse cancer outcomes, but studying the oral microbiome and local immune effects in oropharyngeal cancer is relatively new and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Puerto Rico Med Sciences
San Juan, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dorta-Estremera, Stephanie — University of Puerto Rico Med Sciences
- Study coordinator: Dorta-Estremera, Stephanie
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.