Increasing evidence show that tumors have distinct microbial compositions (microbiome) compared to normal tissues, and that these microbiomes are strongly associated with cancer outcomes and treatment responses. In this project, we propose 1) to define and characterize the mechanisms by which certain subspecies of microbes associated with cervical cancers can affect tumor metabolism, cause cancer cell genetic modifications, and affect cancer treatment response, and 2) to design therapeutic approaches for elimination of these microbes that will use cancer-associated microbes' susceptibilities while preserving the presence of healthy bacterial subspecies. The future clinical testing of microbe-...

Read More

Increasing evidence show that tumors have distinct microbial compositions (microbiome) compared to normal tissues, and that these microbiomes are strongly associated with cancer outcomes and treatment responses. In this project, we propose 1) to define and characterize the mechanisms by which certain subspecies of microbes associated with cervical cancers can affect tumor metabolism, cause cancer cell genetic modifications, and affect cancer treatment response, and 2) to design therapeutic approaches for elimination of these microbes that will use cancer-associated microbes' susceptibilities while preserving the presence of healthy bacterial subspecies. The future clinical testing of microbe-specific and -targeted elimination strategies for engineering the cervicovaginal microbiome represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of cervical cancer and holds great promise for making a major impact on cervical cancer growth, progression, and metastasis, as well as on therapeutic responses of patients.

Read Less