How gut bacteria affect how cancer drugs work
Official title: Metabolism of cancer chemotherapeutics by the human gut microbiome
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11473234 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how the bacteria in your gut might change how well and with what side effects fluoropyrimidine cancer drugs like 5-FU work in people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $132,337 |
| NIH project number | 3R01CA255116-04S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11473234 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with colorectal cancer or others treated with 5-FU or capecitabine who may benefit from microbiome-informed treatment strategies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not treated with fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy or without a detectable gut microbiome influence on drug metabolism.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how gut microbes metabolize fluoropyrimidines and how this changes drug levels and effects using lab experiments and mouse models. They will identify which bacteria and enzymes are involved and how this impacts drug action and toxicity. The goal is to generate mechanistic insight that could help tailor chemotherapy in patients based on their gut microbiome.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding gut bacteria’s role could lead to more effective and safer dosing of fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy for patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests the microbiome can affect drug metabolism, but detailed mechanisms in humans remain under investigation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Turnbaugh, Peter James — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Turnbaugh, Peter James
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Multi-agent AI to annotate enzymes in the human gut microbiome
A team at a major university will build an AI system that automatically curates and labels the functions of enzymes in the human gut microbiome to speed up understanding their health effects.
-
Mapping how gut bacteria transform drugs
Scientists will study how the gut microbiome changes thousands of drugs into new forms, which could affect how well a medicine works or whether it causes side effects.
-
Aflatoxin exposure and child growth in Guatemala
A study in rural Guatemala will track how exposure to aflatoxin relates to growth and gut health in young children.
-
Gut bacteria that can make cancer immunotherapy less effective
This project will see if reducing chronic inflammation driven by certain gut bacteria can help immunotherapy work better for people whose cancers have stopped responding.
-
Gut bacteria and cancer drugs: how your gut may change chemotherapy effectiveness
This project studies how the gut microbiome might affect how well certain chemotherapy drugs work and their side effects in people with cancer.
-
Long-term study of NAFLD progression and gut bacteria in diverse groups
We’re following people over time to see how the gut microbiome and diet relate to fatty liver disease progression in diverse racial/ethnic groups.
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.