Personalising cancer treatment using the gut microbiome
Sep 6, 2024 ·
17m 42s
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Description
Did you know that your gut bugs may affect your cancer risk? Dr Ashray Gunjur, Clinical Research Training Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, is exploring how clinicians can use...
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Did you know that your gut bugs may affect your cancer risk? Dr Ashray Gunjur, Clinical Research Training Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, is exploring how clinicians can use the biology of the gut microbiome to personalise cancer treatment.
Over three million people in the UK live with cancer, and this is set to rise to 3.5 million by 20251. The past decade saw an increase in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy, which activates the immune system to fight cancer. Unlike chemotherapy and radiotherapy, immunotherapy specifically targets cancer cells and often minimises collateral damage to healthy cells. However, immunotherapy can be expensive, slower and less effective. It can also trigger negative side effects, including autoimmunity.
But immunotherapy research may have hit a turning point. Scientists have discovered a link between the gut microbiome – the complex community of microorganisms living along the digestive tract – and a person’s response to immunotherapy. Dr Ashray Gunjur, a Clinical Research Training Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, investigates whether microbiome-based treatments can increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy for various cancers. I recently met with Ashray to learn about his valuable research, hospital work, and vision for the future of personalised cancer treatments.
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Over three million people in the UK live with cancer, and this is set to rise to 3.5 million by 20251. The past decade saw an increase in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy, which activates the immune system to fight cancer. Unlike chemotherapy and radiotherapy, immunotherapy specifically targets cancer cells and often minimises collateral damage to healthy cells. However, immunotherapy can be expensive, slower and less effective. It can also trigger negative side effects, including autoimmunity.
But immunotherapy research may have hit a turning point. Scientists have discovered a link between the gut microbiome – the complex community of microorganisms living along the digestive tract – and a person’s response to immunotherapy. Dr Ashray Gunjur, a Clinical Research Training Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, investigates whether microbiome-based treatments can increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy for various cancers. I recently met with Ashray to learn about his valuable research, hospital work, and vision for the future of personalised cancer treatments.
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| Author | Wellcome Sanger Institute |
| Organization | Wellcome Sanger Institute |
| Website | - |
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