Understanding how gut bacteria improve lung cancer treatment
Official title: Mechanism of microbiota-mediated potentiation of checkpoint blockade efficacy in lung cancer
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11135595 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how certain gut bacteria might help immunotherapy work better for people with lung cancer and reduce side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $572,168 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA255635-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11135595 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with lung cancer receiving or considering immunotherapy, especially those interested in how gut bacteria might influence treatment outcomes, could potentially benefit from future applications of this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancer is not lung adenocarcinoma or who are not candidates for immune checkpoint blockade may not directly benefit from this specific line of research.
What this research studies
The goal is to understand why some lung cancers respond to immunotherapy and others don't, and why some patients experience severe autoimmune side effects. Researchers believe that bacteria in the gut play a role in how well these treatments work and in causing side effects. This work will look for specific human gut bacteria and their products that can boost the immune system's ability to fight lung cancer after anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. It will also uncover how these bacteria and their products interact with the body's cells to produce these effects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to make immunotherapy more effective for lung cancer patients and predict or prevent harmful autoimmune side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Recent studies have highlighted the contribution of the intestinal microbiota to successful immune checkpoint blockade, suggesting a promising area of investigation.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Littman, Dan — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Littman, Dan
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Intratumoral microbiota and immune predictors of response to immunotherapy in lung cancer
A scientist team will study whether specific microbes inside lung tumors and immune cells can predict who will respond to immunotherapy in lung cancer.
-
Lung bacteria linked to immune response and immunotherapy in lung cancer
Looks at whether certain bacteria in the lower airways are tied to how people with non-small cell lung cancer respond to PD-1 immunotherapy.
-
Predicting Immunotherapy Success for Lung Cancer
This project looks at bacteria inside tumors and immune cells to help predict which lung cancer patients will respond best to immunotherapy.
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Understanding how gut bacteria and immune cells affect lung cancer treatment response
This study is looking at how the bacteria in lung tumors and the immune cells around them can help predict how well patients with advanced lung cancer will respond to immunotherapy, so we can better understand who might benefit from this treatment.
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How gut bacteria can improve lung cancer treatment with immune therapy
This study is looking at how certain good bacteria in your gut might help make lung cancer treatments work better, especially a type of therapy called anti-PD-1, and if you join, you could help researchers find out which bacteria are most helpful by providing samples.
-
Understanding how lung bacteria affect cancer treatment response
This study is looking at how the bacteria in your lungs might affect how well immunotherapy works for non-small cell lung cancer, and it aims to find patterns that could help doctors tailor treatments just for you.
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.